Keep Walking
by Rose the Wary Wolf
Summary: "Don't stop walking, keep moving forth." Allen has always followed his father's words. When the Black Order turns against him, Allen continues to walk forward, never stopping. Shedding the skin of an Exorcist, Allen leaves behind his fate for one equally as tragic. The Destroyer of Time becomes one of the Strongest Seven, forced to watch the world go by. And Allen keeps walking.
1. Chapter 1

**Plot bunny alert! I probably will continue this eventually. But I can't continue on any of my stories with this bouncing around inside my head. So, enjoy this little plot bunny~**

**(I blame Tempestas D. Uzu and her Soldier stories (specifically Come Home, Soldier) for this idea, by the way. So, make sure to check her out…)**

**I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn or D. Gray-man**

* * *

Allen stared at the reflection in the mirror.

He reached up and fondled his lanky white hair. Pitiful grey orbs stared into the reflective surface.

His pale skin only accented the red scar that marred his boyish face.

Allen sighed, turning away from the mirror. He would need to hide. He would need to blend in with the background. He's done it before, he could do it again.

It hurt to leave his friends behind. He had spent so much time and effort to finally have friends. After the Circus and Nalei, Allen hadn't thought he would be able to gain so many friends.

But, now he was on the run from the very people he wanted to protect. And all because of his Master and adoptive father.

After Tyki and Rhode had saved him from Apocryphos, he had fled England. He couldn't go anywhere that the Order or the Noah would think of. He had to go to wherever they would least expect him.

In hindsight, Italy might not have been the best idea. Living so close to the Vatican made Allen twitchy. And yet, he had been roaming the streets of Forsinone for three months now. Not only had he not seen a single exorcist, but his eye has yet to detect any akuma.

Allen knew that the peace wouldn't last long. He was an enemy of the Church, a Noah in an Exorcist's skin. He needed more than a clever hiding place if he wanted to live. He needed something more if he wanted to keep his promise to the first person that took care of him.

_Keep walking, Allen, you have to keep walking._

He needed to stop playing the part of the naïve child. He needed to go back to his roots, before Allen, before Innocence, before the Black Order.

He needed to shed the skin he donned for his own safety. But, Red was not someone that wanted to rejoin the world. The world was cruel and cold to Red.

No. Allen needed a new skin, a new mask to hide behind. He was good at that. All of those years with Mana and Cross told him that much. He just had to obverse and adjust. The tragic boy-hero was what the Order wanted. The obedient student-slave was what Cross wanted. Allen still wasn't sure what Mana had wanted, but if Cross was to be believed, it hadn't mattered either way. An insane man wouldn't have noticed Allen testing different personalities on him.

Allen left his hotel room to walk the crowded streets. He needed a job, something that no one would expect from him. Unfortunately, the only thing Allen was good at other than defeating inhuman creations was being a clown. And too many people knew about that skill. The Church and the Noah would be on the lookout for a white-haired, scarred clown. It was too risky.

Allen was running out for money, though. He needed a job soon. Sure, he could play the bum easily and live off of scraps in the alleys. It was just less conspicuous to become another face in the crowd.

"Did you hear?" Allen passed two gossiping housewives, his attention perking at their whispered Italian conversation. "I heard that the circus is in town!"

"Isn't that a little childish, Maria?" the other woman questioned her companion. "I thought you grew out of clowns."

The woman, Maria, let out a giggle. "Claudio told me about it. There's not a single clown in the entire crew. Only stuntmen!" Allen's interest was quipped against his will. "I heard they even have lions!"

"Ah, excuse me," Allen cut in, using fractured Italian. Considering his looks, it was better to be seen at the ignorant tourist than try to pose for a native. Cross had made sure to pound that into his head early on in his apprenticeship. No one would believe either one of them was a born and raised Italians, it was best not to push it in other cultures. They only had to let some of the truth slip and they would be safe in a crowd. "You say…Circus?" he smiled hopefully, dazzling the two older women. They responded by giggling in his face.

"It's okay," the nameless one responded in English. Allen twisted his face into relief. They giggled softly once again. "Maria was just saying there was a circus in town."

"It's just on the outskirts!" Maria added gleefully. "To the west of here!"

"Thank you very much!" Allen bowed slightly, straightening in time to see the two women blush at his action. With a wave, Allen headed to the west.

As much as he didn't want to do anything that would bring the attention of those he was running from, avoiding risks wasn't the right way to go about it. He learned from the master of hiding in plain sight after all. Chances were, if Allen didn't want to be found, they wouldn't find him.

He might as well have some fun while he was on the run. He didn't know how much time he had until the Noah inside on him consumed all that he was. Already he could feel it shifting around, as if adjusting its position.

Maria's directions were spot on and in no time at all, Allen stood in front of a familiar set up. He looked down at himself, making sure that the makeup still covered his scar and that his gloves were on correctly. No need to grab unnecessary attention.

"Whaz dis?" A gruff voice called out. Allen watched as a large man walked into sight. His entire head was shaved and tattoos decorated his board arms. The man crossed his colorful arms when Allen didn't answer.

"I am sorry," Allen started. "I am here for a job, if you have any openings that is." He smiled benignly at the larger man.

"Ginevra!" The man barked. A red haired woman, dressed in tight leather, stepped out of the shadows. "Watch dis one. Imma get da Boss."

The woman smiled slowly at the man. "Of course Christoff." The man left, slipping around the Big Top, presumably to get the Ring Leader from the performers' tents. "Now, what can you do, stranger?"

Allen loosened from his gentleman posture, allowing his Red roots to show to the woman, Ginevra. "I can do a lot, Madam."

"Oh?" Her smile was sly, the whip in her hand completing the seductress vibe.

"You must be a Lion Tamer." He mused for a moment. He remembered a lion tamer at the Circus. The man, Jamie, was large and was known for his kindness. He was killed while taking care of his favorite lion, Leo. No one knew what had happened to the strong man, but many performers avoided Cosimo for days afterwards. The fact that a woman, who was much smaller than Jamie, had the same job made the former exorcist even more curious about this circus.

"That I am," she admitted. "But, the question was, what can you do?"

"A little bit of everything." Allen conceded. It was the truth after all. Mana might have focused on being a clown, but Allen had learned from many different teachers. Swords, daggers, knives, tightrope-walking, animal care, juggling. Allen could do anything that would get a smile from an audience.

You could take the boy away from the circus, but there was no way you could take the circus out of the boy.

"A Jack-Of-All-Trades? We don't have one of those." Ginevra smirked. "Daddy, can we keep him?"

From around the side of the Big Top, a red haired man returned with Christoff. His smile matched the Lion Tamer's. "If he can put his money where his mouth is, darling." The Ring Leader promised.

And, of course, Allen did. He passed all of their tests with flying colors. He had officially joined the circus for the second time in his life, as a performer.

It was two months later that the Ring Leader and his manipulative daughter realized that Allen had a knack at escaping death by the skin of his teeth. They immediately started to use this to their benefit. Allen became their Dare Devil clown, riding off to do stunts at their bidding.

Five months after fleeing from the Black Order, Allen finally shed the old skin that had been dragging him down. He knew that this new home would not last long, there was still a war going on with both sides after his head.

So, he changed his looks. He dyed his hair, hunted down some colored contact lenses, became proficient at makeup. He did all he could to make Allen Walker disappear. No one would think of his old self when they ran into him.

It wasn't until a full year after running away that his new life caught up with him. A letter appeared in his personal tent, addressed to his new name. When he brought it to the two that owned his life, they agreed that he should go. This might be the publicity that the circus needed.

Allen plastered a smile on his face and painted his face till someone else looked back at him. This familiar stranger that would replace Allen, just as Allen had replaced Red. It was an endless cycle of destruction and rebirth.

He looked at the letter one more time to double check the address. His now purple eyes turned back to the building in front of him.

"Keep walking. Never stop walking." He allowed the words to slip through his obnoxious smile. As long as he was alive, nothing else mattered. Not his name, not his personality. He just had to keep his promise. No matter what.

The letter was shoved into his tight pocket as Allen covered his head in a dark helmet. The words echoed through his mind as he entered the room, its occupants turning to stare him down.

_Dear Skull de Mort,_

_ You are cordially invited to a gathering of the seven strongest members of society…_

Allen was used to playing the clown. For this new life, for this second chance, he could do it forever. Just grin. Grin and bear it. Never ever stop smiling, no matter how much it hurts. That is the job of a clown. And Allen, the King of Clowns, knew this better than anyone.

The door closed resolutely behind him.

* * *

**DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD IT WAS TO FIND NALEI'S NAME?! I was starting to think I imagined the character. Nalei and Mina need more love. Sure, they're purely anime characters, but they affected Allen. And yet, they aren't even on the character list. For shame, FanFiction. For shame.**

**Not exactly how I wanted it to go, but Skull!Allen/Allen!Skull would not leave me alone. It works so well, too! Skull is considered a joke by the Arcobaleno and Allen literally is a joke. It works! Kinda surprised that with all of the THIS CHARACTER IS REALLY THIS CHARACTER stories, I have yet to see this. Oh well.**

**Hope everyone enjoys! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, holy shit then. (I keep not expecting such a large reaction and it happens anyway. You guys just make me blush, dammit.) Here's the next chapter!**

**(Imma admit, I don't know Skull as well as I probably should considering I'm writing a fanfic about him. So, if he, or anyone else, seems out of character, can someone warn me so I don't look like an idiot? Thanks~)**

**I don't own D. Gray-man or Katekyo Hitman Reborn**

* * *

"Who is this clown?" A hood covered person asked, eyeing Skull as he paused to take in the room.

He saw five other people situated around the room, each with their own bubble of space. There was an Asian man dressed in red sitting at the table, which had enough chairs to seat seven people. With him sat two other people, a green haired man in a white lab coat and the hooded figure that had noticed Skull's arrival. Now, Skull was rather good at determining gender, from his interactions with Master Cross and Kanda, but the conflicting vibes from the person in purple just made the stuntman confused.

Other than the three at the table, there were two people standing the shadows of the dimly lit room. One was a tanned woman with dark blue hair. Her glare sent shivers down Skull's spine. He mentally marked her name under Cloud Nine's on his Women-Not-To-Mess-With list. Of the hundreds of women he met while training under Master Cross, only four have ever made his list. Cloud Nine, Anita, Lenalee, and Lulubell.

The last figure nearly caused Skull start shaking in fear. The man was tall and undoubtedly handsome, from what little he could see from the shadows. But he radiated the same dangerous and playboy aura as Master Cross. It was only the short black hair and the lack of Timcampy's excited movement from inside his small bag that calmed Skull down.

"You don't know who I am?" Skull asked incredulously. "I am the great and powerful Skull! Death quakes at my mere name! I flirt with danger ev-"

A gun was cocked in his direction. Skull shut up immediately, recognizing the sound from years of torment.

"Shut up, Lackey." A smooth voice called out from the dark shadow. Skull froze, watching the gun with hesitance. This man was way too much like Cross for his comfort. At this rate, he would have to adjust his carefully constructed personality. Skull de Mort was an arrogant showman that lived for the crowds. He wouldn't be welcome among dangerous gun-toting men. He would need to tweak this rough new persona. It wouldn't due to die from an itchy finger. Not after everything.

"Lackey?" Skull squawked, watching the others through the safety of his helmet. Not that he would be able to keep it on for much longer. "The Great Skull will-"

"-get me an espresso. What a good Lackey we have." The man smirked, lowering his gun slightly. The others followed his expression. Skull sighed internally. Would he have to play the slave-child once again? Though, it was a mask that he already knew. It shouldn't be too hard to integrate it into Skull's own ego. Maybe even pass it off as self-preservation.

"I will not-" Skull huffed, refusing to move from his spot.

"We're missing one," the man with the gun noted, glancing around the room casually.

Skull crossed his arms, choosing to lean against the wall next to the door. A quick exit and an easy way to watch everyone in front of him. The man smirked in his direction at his action.

The door opened slowly at the infuriating man's comment. A puffy hatted head peeked around the corner. "I apologize for making everyone wait on me." The woman who confidently stepped into the dark room stated. She breezed over to the chair situated at the head of the table. Everyone's attention was focused solely on her.

"And you are?" the red dressed man asked, smiling benignly.

"I am Luce." She glanced around for a moment. "I'm sorry, but, I don't think I know all of your names…" she trailed off.

Skull could practically taste the egos in the room suddenly expand.

The lab coat wearing man spoke up first. "Verde, Scientist Extraordinaire." He nodded at Luce. She turned her head expectantly to the figure sitting beside him.

"Viper." The figure stated. They didn't offer anything else, but Luce smiled at them anyway.

The red dressed man spoke up. "I am Fon, a pleasure to meet you Miss Luce." The smile that graced his face reminded Skull of his former self. A polite gesture that had started to lose its meaning. Surprisingly, Skull felt that the man actually meant his words, even with his smile cracking at the edges.

The tanned woman introduced herself without prompting, "Lal Mirch, COMSUBIN officer."

Skull found himself suddenly subject to the woman's entire attention. "Skull de Mort." He muttered self-consciously. There was something about this woman that made him uneasy. Her twinkling eyes made him uncomfortable.

"Don't try to be cool, Lackey." The man sneered. Luce rounded on him the moment he opened his mouth.

"And you are?"

"My name is Reborn, The World's Strongest Hitman. Chaos." He tilted his hat up slightly with his gun to smirk openly at Luce. She smiled winningly back up at him.

Skull couldn't hold back the muffled giggles that erupted at the 'World's Strongest Hitman's' responding bewildered look.

"What are you laughing about, Lackey? I don't see that espresso…" Reborn trailed off threateningly, cocking his gun back towards the stuntman.

Luce reached up, cupping the tense hand to lower the gun. "I'm sure Skull didn't mean anything by that, right, Skull?" Her knowing eyes were back on him. Skull was reminded heavily of Hevlaska. The mere thought made him shiver. Reborn grinned ferally at the sign of fear.

"Of course not, Senpai!" Skull chirped. No one cringed at the title or his tone of voice and Skull marked it down as useable. Instead, the five other members of the group radiated satisfaction. "I'll go get it right away!" He allowed a tinge of fear to coat the undertones. Everyone immediately caught onto it, but most seemed to just scoff at his perceived weakness. Only Fon and Luce eyed him strangely. Fon with confusion and Luce with amusement. Skull noted to himself to avoid her as much as he could during this 'Group Project' that the person in the letter mentioned.

He stepped away from his position by the front door to cross the room for the door further in the darkness. No eyes followed him, to engrossed in the conversation that Luce had started. Marching deeper into the small house, Skull searched for a kitchen.

Finding one, he set about making an espresso as well as other drinks he suspected the rest of the group would enjoy. Waiting for the espresso and tea pot, he took the time to remove his helmet, revealing his painted face and purple hair to the empty room. He attached the velcro strap on the back of the helmet to the hook on his waist, allowing it to dangle at his side. Free of the physical reminder of his new identity, Skull leaned his back against the counter.

He didn't trust any of them, but Ginevra and the Boss were counting on him. He didn't want to let anyone else down. Twisting his gloved hand through his short purple dyed hair, he tugged at the locks.

He needed to be careful. These people were dangerous. If the screaming of every battle honed instinct in his hadn't clued him in, then it was the self-assured way that Reborn claimed to be the best Hitman in the world. That's not something you just throw out without it being true.

The two warring elements inside of him have kept him alive through all of his stunts, but he didn't think that Crown Clown or the Noah could save him from a bullet to the head. But, this new gig might help Skull develop this identity even further. No one looking for him would search among a bunch of hitmen and psychos. It might even be safer than his public arrogant image.

Or it might leave him dead in a ditch.

And Skull couldn't keep his promise if he was dead.

He was tempted to walk out the back door of the small house and never look back. To hell with opportunities and big breaks.

But, Skull knew better. His experiences as Allen and Red taught him more about the world than one would think. This was not something that he could get out of, at least not easily.

And the last thing he needed as a third party after his head. The Noah and the Black Order was more than enough for the eighteen year old.

"What a mess." Skull admitted to the empty room.

_You can say that again, my adorable nephew._

* * *

**The next chapter will probably be another time skip. Either right after the curse or during a 'team bonding' mission.**

**I really like my Skull, he's just adorable. (I should probably read the manga rather than rely on the anime, but I think I'll let my writer's privileges rule this story instead of my obsessive need to get everything right.)**

**I already have three other serious stories and two goof-off ones. Why the hell am I willingly adding more to my work load? Imma combust at this rate.**

**I'm actually surprised that I'm updating this so soon, but I live to serve my readers.**

**However, I probably won't update this story for a while, since Imma be doing a Song Challenge with some of my friends. We're gonna write a oneshot story everyday based on a song for the entire month of April. Sadly, most of my other stories are gonna have to take a backseat due to this. They'll still be updated, just not as often as previously.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter~**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm really sorry for the long wait! I might have stretched myself a little thin this month. With the song challenge, my regular stories, and my finals, I'm floundering a little bit. **

**SO, I've put the challenge on hold! I'll probably get back to it eventually. More information about that is on my profile, if anyone cares. **

**But, enough about that! The next chapter is finally out, after waiting for so long~**

**I was gonna do a team mission moment where Skull freaks over the Flames, but Imma save that for next chapter. I thought fleshing out Skull and Luce's interactions would be far more important in the long run.**

**(Since I can't message them like I do with other reviewers, I wanna say thanks to all of the guest readers!)**

**I don't own D. Gray-man or Katekyo Hitman Reborn.**

* * *

Skull was not happy.

Immediately after the introduction meeting, everyone was moved into a cabin in the woods at Luce's order, starting their weeks of Team Bonding. Skull worked hard, watching his new partners, picking and choosing what attitude went well with which of the 'Strongest Seven'.

He carefully adjusted to the more dangerous members of the team, twisting himself until he was sure that he wasn't stepping on any toes. Life was something too precious for him to waste.

The only ones that noticed his little tests were Fon and Luce, who he caught watching him more often than not.

But, back to Skull being not happy.

He was stuck in a house, in the middle of nowhere, with people he really didn't trust.

The bruises from when his so-called comrades decided to 'train' with him hurt whenever he woke up to do his usual morning exercise.

Skull refrained from retaliating whenever he was injured. Nothing good would come of poking at the sleeping dragons. But, he was so tempted. All three of the names he has used in his life have never been people who allowed others to walk all over them. Red would have told them to fuck off, Allen would have politely ask them to stop. So, why couldn't Skull make them stop?

He knew that answer, however. He didn't want their attention on him. As long as they thought he was compliant and weak, they would never give him a second look. Then, he could safely hide in their shadows.

Reborn seemed to be the one that took to most pleasure in bullying Skull, but the younger man had been expecting that.

Reborn would order Skull around, demanding espresso and cake, and Skull would grin and bear it.

But, running around on Reborn's orders made it easy for Skull to avoid Luce. In the last few weeks, he has succeeded in not spending a single second alone with the motherly woman.

Personally, Skull suspected that the 'World's Strongest Hitman' wasn't happy that the object of his affection kept trying to be alone with the 'Lackey' of the team and took it out on the 'weakest' member. What a bully, Skull scoffed.

Sadly, Skull couldn't keep avoiding the woman, considering the fact she was the leader of the group of seven.

Two weeks after moving into the cabin at Ginevra's insistence, Skull's luck finally ran out.

"I never expected to see the Destroyer of Time here." Luce sat calmly at the dinner table, her hands folded one over the other. She stared him down with her deep blue eyes.

He looked desperately at the door, begging for an excuse to leave. He knew that he shouldn't have come to the kitchen early in the morning, before the sun had even kicked the moon out of the sky, but he had wanted to eat something before Reborn stuck his nose into his business. Curse his huge appetite, it screwed him over once again.

Skull turned to face the mushroom hatted woman, his perpetual smile gone from his face.

"As awesome of a name as that is, the Great Skull prefers his far superior title to something so boring." Skull stated, frowning unhappily. The chain hanging from his lip clinked together peacefully, the soft song making Skull want to mutter as soothing melody. Now wasn't the time for his coping mechanism, though.

"It's just you and me, Allen. No one else is listening, there's no reason for you to lie." Luce smiled at Skull's harsh glare.

"It would be appreciated if you could never speak that name again." Skull fisted his gloved hands, wishing that he had worn his helmet. He didn't want to look into Luce's searching blue eyes.

"But, it's your name, isn't it?" The simple fact that Luce sounded earnest kept Skull from angrily stomping out of the room. At the core of his person, Skull and Allen were pacifists. He much preferred to settle this now, without any violence or arguing. Admittedly, Skull figured the violence would originate from four of the other seven, rather than the two of them.

"It was the name of a dog, one that was beaten to death," Skull decided to inform her. Maybe, just maybe, this would stop her from speaking his name ever again.

Unfortunately, Skull's luck didn't work that way.

"I can see things, you know," Luce started conversationally. "I saw all of this happen already. I see the past, the present, and the future."

Skull's wariness of the kind woman shifted into distrust. In his short life, he learned that knowledge really was power. If she knew so much, about anyone or anything, Skull did not want to be on her bad side. In fact, he wanted to be as far away from her as he possibly could.

"So what? What does all of that have to do with me? I'm just the Lackey, after all." Skull was not reassured by her friendly smile.

"I know what you are running from, Skull, Allen, Red. No matter what name you use, no one can escape their fate," Luce's voice was sad, her eyes distant.

"I make my own fate." Skull drew her attention towards him at his firm words. His gray eyes, not yet hidden behind colored lenses, flared until they gleamed silver. "I don't bow to any higher bow. I served an absent God once before, I refuse to let someone I do not trust dictate my life."

The Giglio Nero Boss had the nerve to smile forlornly at his standing form, as if he was a child that had yet to learn his lesson. "Are you sure that you can, Allen? Did you not swear to serve both humans and akuma? Are you not breaking your promise?"

"Don't you dare," Skull hissed. He shrugged his shoulders roughly, as if trying to throw off her words. "Don't you dare try and guilt trip me. My promises mean nothing if I am dead, survival is what is most important right now."

"How selfish of you," she noted. "You would rather save your own life, leaving them to suffer while you live happily away from the fighting. What sort of hero are you?"

"Don't, for a second, think I don't know what I have abandoned them to. You might be able to see through time, Luce, but I can see through souls. Don't think I can't see how dark your heart is," Skull spat. If he was going to be guilt tripped, he was dragging her down with him. "Tell me, what have you seen? Or have you given up on even stopping the future?"

Luce rushed to her feet, indignant. "That is of no concern of yours, Allen!"

Skull slammed his covered hands onto the table. "Don't talk to me about being selfish when you are hiding the truth about this entire disaster from all of us!"

They were quiet after his loud outburst, listening for any eavesdroppers. Luce sighed heavily, sitting back down slowly.

"I would leave if I could," he informed her coldly. Skull's silver eyes sparked as they locked onto her sad blue pair. "I would leave and never look back. But, for some reason beyond me, you need me here. And I need a more secure cover."

"We agree to use each other then, huh?" she asked him, tired.

"Mutual benefit and all that," Skull confirmed.

"If they find out that you knew anything, they'll hate you," she tried to warn him. Skull shrugged.

"If you can really see the past, then you'd know that hatred is something I'm used to."

Skull ignored Luce as she placed her head on the table, her shoulders shaking. He merely walked around the table that she was sitting at, coming face to face with the fridge.

"How about I make you some breakfast, as an apology." Skull didn't wait for a response and started setting up the kitchen for a large meal.

When the others trickled in an hour later, they all thanked Luce for making the morning meal. She frowned in disapproval, but didn't correct them.

Skull smiled into his fifteenth serving.

No one noticed.

* * *

**It should really be noted that I'm not a fan of Luce. I might not have read the entire Manga, but I've read other people's fanfics concerning the Arcobaleno and it just makes me dislike Luce. So, while this really wasn't meant to bash Luce, it kinda does. So, sorry to Luce fans!**

**Okay, Neah will have his moments, I will admit to that. However, most of the time he'll be sleeping. He's an old man after all, he needs his beauty rest. He doesn't just wake up flawless. **

**Now, I'm sorry if this chapter is out of character for Skull/Allen. As adorable as he is, he is stressed and this woman is basically stomping on his ideals. Even Allen doesn't take that sitting down.**

**Next time, it'll be a little more light hearted with the rest of the Strongest Seven. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Since this chapter is really short and just a transition for the next chapter, Imma update again real soon. Probably later tomorrow.**

**I don't own D. Gray-man or Katekyo Hitman Reborn**

* * *

"You want me to stay here?" Skull repeated, incredulously.

After weeks of Team Bonding, Luce had decided that they were finally ready to actually to the jobs that were picked out for them.

Skull was kinda hesitant to even think about what jobs were considered appropriate for the 'Strongest Seven'. It might be him overthinking it, but just three of them seemed like overkill.

And yet, Luce had pulled Skull aside right after the meeting with the details about the mission to demand that he stay behind for their first mission together.

"Not only do you know nothing about Flames, but the rest of the team is still unwilling to work together with you. They see you as an unwelcome nuisance." Luce informed him with a frown. " And I doubt you want to activate your Innocence and reveal your location just for the sake of a simple mission."

"Hold it," Skull lifted his left hand. "What, in the name of Master's bill, are Flames?"

"Exactly my point," Luce stated. "Flames are the weapons of the underground. If I'm remembering right, your Master is one of the few Innocence Holders that knows how to use their Flames. He holds the Cloud Flame."

"I'm not sure if I should be horrified about the fact you apparently know Master or the fact that there is something else that makes Master stronger," Skull admitted.

"But, because you don't know how to utilize your Flames, you shouldn't go. You'll only be in the way," Luce commented.

Skull narrowed his eyes. "Even if they are not my friends, they are my comrades. There is no way I will stand back and let them go out there alone."

"They don't need you," Luce shook her head with a sigh. "If anything, each one of them is stronger than you, as you are now."

Skull crossed his arms stubbornly. "I'm going."

Luce stared at him for a moment, taking in his conviction. "Very well," she allowed. "Just…stay in the back."

"Luce? Skull?" Fon called from the next room. "Are you coming?"

"What's Lackey doing in there?" Reborn sneered, hearing Fon's call.

"We'll be there in a moment, Fon, Reborn," Luce responded. She turned back to Skull, who was frowning. "Please, listen to me Allen. I know what I'm talking about."

Skull sighed as she left to pacify the temperamental hitman and the rest of her team.

After a moment, Skull followed her, meeting up with Fon along the way.

"What did Luce want to speak with you about?" Fon asked Skull kindly.

Skull shrugged. "She wanted to tell me that I should hang back for the mission. My specialty isn't fighting like the rest of you."

"She's right," Fon agreed. "We wouldn't want anything to happen to you, Skull."

Had that come from Reborn or even Verde, Skull had no doubt it would have sounded like a threat. As Allen and Red, he had only heard it as a threat. But, Fon actually seemed to mean it. Without meaning to, Skull connected his kindness with Lenalee.

Skull had to take a moment to shake away the urge to laugh after he imagined Fon in Lenalee's Black Order uniform.

Skull didn't respond to the martial artist and they continued in silence to the front entrance where the five other of the Strongest Seven were waiting.

"What took so long, Lackey?" Reborn snapped, leaning against the wall next to where Luce was standing.

"You better pay for the time you wasted," Viper muttered.

"Luce, just allow me to discipline the brat," Lal Mirch demanded to the team's designated leader.

Verde merely pushed up his glasses in annoyance. Skull glanced to his side, watching how Fon's smile became fixated at the displeasure of their comrades.

Yes, Skull was sure that none of them wanted anything to happen to him.

"Now that everyone is here," Luce took a step forward and their eyes snapped to her obediently. Skull almost scoffed at their attention to the seer woman. The so-called Strongest Seven were being duped by this motherly woman and they seemed to be perfectly alright with it. It confused the survivor.

"Let's go," Reborn ordered, stalking out of the house. Luce followed after him gracefully and the others trailed behind her like little ducklings.

It was almost cute.

Skull was right behind them, watching their stony expression and the malicious grins that spread across some of their faces. The adrenaline in his veins reminded him of his first mission. He hoped it didn't end as badly. Maybe their mission would bring the team together, just like how his first mission made Kanda acknowledge him.

Reborn turned his head to glare back at him.

Skull sighed. Yeah, that was some wishful thinking.

* * *

**Yeah, next chapter is going to be their first mission together. I was planning on doing it this chapter, but I wanted the scenes with Luce and Skull and Fon and Skull. I just couldn't think of a good transition into the mission from there. As such, next chapter will be the mission. (It was either this, or a choppy and half assed transition. Imma guess that you guys enjoy this better.)**

**I debated Cross's Flame for a long time. But, in the end, it was between the Sun Flame and the Cloud Flame. Sun because I really like comparing Reborn and Cross. However, with his loner tendencies and his abilities, I figured Cloud matched. Plus, I like the idea that he can increase the size of things, like that hammer he used to knock Allen unconscious at the beginning of the series. (He also propagates his debt, pfffftt.) And, let's be honest, who else wants to see Allen/Skull freak out when he finds out that he has the same Flame type as Cross?**

**(Guest Review Responses:**

**kK - I can't stop laughing, oh my gosh. Yes. Just, yes, that is exactly what happens.**

**kiba-chan - Your grammar is pretty good! But, yeah, Imma be doing yaoi for the pairing. The chances of it being Reborn are really small though, just based on the character interactions I have set up so far. I'm still debating who it'll be. BUT, this story is not focused on the pairing but the character interactions so the romance will be on a small scale.)**

**Anyway, I hope everyone likes this short little chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, this chapter is the first time I'm writing a battle scene instead of just a brutal murder. I hope it goes well…**

**Hm, there's a lot of swearing in this chapter now that I look it over. Oh well~**

**(Do I still need the disclaimer by this point?)**

* * *

"Don't move, Lackey," Reborn hissed, hugging the teenaged stuntman to his chest.

Skull, behind his ever present helmet, felt the urge to face palm. How the hell did he get into this situation in the first place?

"_Now, Reborn, I want you to watch over Skull," Luce told her second in command, pausing briefly at the fake name. "He's not used to fighting, so I figure that only the World's Strongest Hitman can keep him from harm."_

"_Of course," Reborn soothed his leader. He turned to the younger man with a glare that came straight from hell. "Let's go Lackey." _

_Skull sighed, he just knew this was going to end horribly. Why couldn't Luce have paired him with Fon? Or even Verde? He got along with those two better than he did with the hitman._

"I said," Reborn snarled. "Don't move!"

Skull sighed. Yes, this was such a wonderful idea.

"_The two of you will need to take out the main attacking force. Verde and Viper will be busy dealing with the camera as to not make the Marcello Family suspicious. Lal and Fon will find the object that our benefactor contracted us for," Luce informed her team. Skull frowned. So much for keeping him away from the fighting. Or was this Luce's way of proving her point?_

"_And what will you be doing, Luce?" Fon asked with a soft smile. Skull had to admit that it looked more realistic on him. Luce should take lessons from the Asian man, her smile was faker than Kanda's masculinity. _

"_I will be waiting here for all of you," Luce smiled. "A Boss orders, they do not do."_

_Skull hated how the others only exchanged looks and shrugged, as if accepting her response. Even Millennium Earl, the patriarch of the Noah Family and an all-around bastard, got off his fat ass to do work. 'A Boss doesn't do', what bullshit. On second thought, the Black Order followed that doctrine as well. Skull was pretty sure Leverrier had never seen his comrades die as he fought for his life. _

_But, they followed her orders and entered their target's Headquarters. _

"And now, we're stuck," Skull muttered.

"What was that, Lackey?" Reborn spat. The hand that banded across his chest, pressing Skull against the older man, tightened angrily.

"We're stuck, even though we haven't fulfilled our orders," Skull tilted his head up to blink innocently up at the hitman. "What should we do? You're the World's Strongest Hitman, you must know what to do!" Skull gushed, his eyes practically sparkling in the darkness.

Holy crap, Skull was hungry. When were they going to finish this so that he could make dinner?

"We just need to distract them, that way Fon and Lal can get the item. We need a diversion," Reborn silenced himself quickly, hearing the stomping feet of the Mafioso running passed them.

"So," he continued once they couldn't hear their enemies anymore. "Lackey, go distract them."

"Wha-what?!" Skull squawked. How did it go from hiding in a closet to distracting Mafioso?

"Don't worry too much," Reborn scoffed. "I'll have your back. Luce asked me to watch over you, after all."

Skull wanted to make a snarky quip but he knew that Reborn could easily snap his neck from their current position. And he could blame his death on Skull's lack of experience on the battle field. 'Oops, looks like we need a new toy.'

He stifled his sigh.

"Fine, I'll do it," Skull submitted. "As long as you're watching my back. It would be horrible if the Great Skull died without a single fan to mourn his passing. Why it wou-!" Skull screeched as Reborn snapped the door open, quickly kicking the stuntman out of the safe space.

Skull stumbled, hopping on one foot. He let out a great breath in relief when he succeeded in not falling flat on his face. That would have been embarrassing.

"Look!" Skull's head snapped up in horror. Fifteen Mafioso were right in front of him, one pointing at him dramatically. "It's one of the intruders."

"Really? Serious?" Skull asked incredulously, eyeing the group of suited men.

"_I could take care of them for you, my adorable nephew,_" Neah murmured soothingly.

"No, that would clue the akuma into our location. Don't worry, Neah, I won't let this body of mine perish so easily," Skull shook his head, slowly reaching for his tight jumpsuit pocket.

"What are you muttering?" one of the men shouted, pointing his hand gun at Skull.

"Tell us who sent you, intruder!" another demanded.

"Where is that bastard Reborn?" Skull wondered to his uncle.

"_Being a bastard, it seems,"_ he mused.

"Hey, boy," the smallest man called out. Skull looked up, noting the small knives attached to his waist. Under his helmet, Skull's eyes sharpened. "Take off your mask."

Skull didn't move. All of the men pointed their weapons at him. Skull quickly categorized each, wondering why the Mafia would need such a diversity. To his knowledge, guns got the job done in the underworld.

Three people with swords, two with throwing knives, four with whips, one with a spear, and five with guns.

Skull reached up slowly and grabbed the side of his helmet. He pulled it off, revealing his face. With the added weight, his arm swung to the side, the helmet clasped tightly in his hand.

"Now," the smallest man smile cruelly. "What wasn't too hard, right boy?" Skull stared blankly back. "Tell us, who sent you."

Skull smirked. "You're really," he paused, tilting his head slightly. "Scary." His painted lips twisted into a mocking smile.

The man blushed in anger. "Fire at the fucker!" he ordered.

Skull listened carefully, hearing the song of death that rang out as the bullets escaped the guns. He dodged, spinning around. It was easier than training with Master Cross. Did these idiots even know how to use a gun properly? He swung his arm, his helmet colliding with a sword. Skull grinned, peeking up at his attacker.

"That wasn't nice," he sang. Skull pushed backwards and the man stumbled forward, thrown off with his support gone. Skull rushed passed him, making sure to kick him unconscious as he went.

Skull ignored the pained cries of the Mafioso, focusing on the song around him. He hummed along with the tune as he smashed his helmet into the face of one of the whip users. They fell to the floor, clutching at their face in agony.

"_Looks like that hitman has joined the fight,"_ Neah noted as a gunman was shot down.

Skull was about to respond when he leapt backwards, avoiding three throwing knives covered in a red light. They sank into the ground, dissolving the surface like acid.

"What the actual fuck?" he cried out.

"Oh?" the small man who had ordered the other Mafioso around stood a few feet away. "So, you don't know about Flames then?" he wondered.

"Flames?" Skull hissed. "This is a Flame?"

"Flames come in seven different types. I," he bragged. "Am Ernesto, a Storm and one the only members of the Marcello Family that can harness their Flame."

"Well, looks like you're the biggest threat then," Skull commented. "I'll have to cut you down now."

"_Can you really kill him, nephew?" _Neah asked. "_Haven't you sworn to save humans?"_

"I will save those who want to be saved," Skull explained. "Those who have thrown away their lives and cry out for salvation…" he trailed off sadly. "I will save them in a far different way."

"What the hell are you blabbering about?" Ernesto sneered. Skull blinked, having been distracted by Neah. "How is a Flameless brat like yourself going to 'cut me down', huh? I'll fucking kill you!" He flung out his arm, throwing four knives expertly.

Skull dipped into his pocket and dug out his weapon. Holding the switchblade at the ready, he flicked open the blade.

"What the fuck are you going to do with that puny thing?" Ernesto laughed.

Skull smirked and dodged the first knife. He used his switchblade to tap the side of the red covered second knife, forcing it to careen off target. The blade sank into the wall behind the stuntman. Skull frowned at the corroded tip of his switchblade, but merely repeated the process with the other two knives.

"How the hell?!" the Mafioso cried out, stunned. Skull dropped his, now, useless switchblade in annoyance. He noticed how the red light on the throwing knives had dissipated and grabbed one as Ernesto was distracted.

Skull absentmindedly flicked the knife into the air, testing its weight with practiced ease.

The Storm Mafioso was still babbling about how it was impossible to dodge his throws when Skull turned to him. He readied the knife in a throwing position, aiming at the man's heart. It would be easy.

Just a flick of his wrist and this man, who had harmed many and probably had someone who loved him, would be dead. So so easy.

A gun shoot rang out instead and Ernesto fell to the side, a bullet in his brain.

"What the fuck was that, Lackey?" Reborn snarled, his gun still pointed towards the fresh corpse.

Skull lazily slipped the knife into the sleeve of his suit and eased his helmet back on. He frowned heavily at the scratch that marred his vision.

"We need to meet up with the others," Skull reminded the older man.

Reborn scoffed, lowering his favorite gun.

"Don't think this is over," Reborn warned. "Not by a long shot." He stalked down the hall of corpses, expecting Skull to follow after him.

"_Busted," _Neah sang.

"Oh, shush you." Skull trailed behind reluctantly.

* * *

**That wasn't so bad!**

**And Neah woke up! He's such a team player. Man, that guy's my role model.**

**Yeah, I personally think that Allen/Skull is just a badass. Add together his skills gained from the circus, his training under Cross, his experiences with the Black Order, and his supernatural abilities? Haha, there is no fucking way some Mafioso are gonna beat him so easily. Sadly, everyone still underestimates him. Even when he gets training for his cloud flames. Cause they're all assholes. **

**I have started to narrow down who I'm pairing Allen/Skull with and it's not gonna be any of the Arcobaleno. Cause they're all dicks in this story. Except Fon, but I don't really wanna pair Allen up with him. For reasons that will make sense once I think of them. **

**Finally, the timeline. Okay, there is no set time line for either of these stories, but a lot can be inferred. D. Gray man is probably in the late 1800s or early 1900s and Katekyo Hitman Reborn is in the late 1900s. The Arcobaleno were contracted about 30 years before the start of the series. Imma mess with this entire assumed timeline. D. Gray-man is being moved up to around 1970/1980. The time for the Arcobaleno has been minimized as well. In this, Luce is not pregnant (for those who haven't noticed yet,) and Aria is already born. She's about 10 years old. So, the Curse will be in effect for about 15 years. This way, most of the D. Gray-man characters will still be alive and usable. (Plus, if the Noah are 'immortal beings' then 15 years of waiting for the Fourteenth to return before continuing with the Earl's script would be a simple matter.) So, yeah. That's the plan.**

**I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

**OKAY, I was gonna wait a few more days before updating again, but something happened. I was on Youtube, just minding my own business…when a commercial came on. I ignored it, of course. BUT THEN. "Boch Honda." Everyone say that out loud, I beg of you. It's killing me, I can't stop laughing. (I don't even fully understand why it's funny but I have a miniature Kanda in my head glaring death at my computer. I just couldn't ignore it.)**

**Anyway, Arcobaleno interactions galore this chapter! Yay~**

* * *

Skull did not like the feeling of déjà vu this entire situation was giving him. Once again, the Strongest Seven were lounging around a dimly lit room.

This time, however, Skull was forcibly seated at the table instead of leaning against a wall where he could easily watch everyone in the room. Luce sat across from him and Reborn glared angrily from behind her. The other four were seated, muttering to themselves in confusion and annoyance.

"Why have you called us, Luce?" Verde finally spoke up after a five minutes of stifling silence. "We just succeeded in our mission," he pushed up his glasses with a frown. "Should we not rest?"

"I am sorry, everyone," Luce started. "But, I did not call this meeting. Reborn did." At the World's Strongest Hitman's name, the moody mutters were silenced. Skull, safe behind his helmet, rolled his eyes.

"Is something wrong, Reborn?" Fon asked, smiling genially at the hitman.

"Yeah," Reborn took a step forward, closer to Luce. His black eyes were hidden behind the brim of his hat. "What the hell was that, Lackey?"

Even Luce blinked in surprise at the reason for the group meeting. Skull sighed, crossing his arms.

"Skull? Skull did something?" Luce wondered. She pondered for a moment before gasping in horror. "Was Skull hurt during the mission, Reborn? Skull, show me your injury!" Fon turned to eye up the youngest member of the team in concern.

Skull sighed again as he noticed Reborn gritting his teeth in irritation. He leaned back nonchalantly, slipping his feet up to rest on the table.

"I'm fine, Luce. Those Mafioso were no match for the Great Skull, the Deathless Stuntman," he informed her, calmly resting his hands behind his head.

"That's a relief. It would really been horrible if anything happened to you, Skull," Luce placed her hand over her heart in sincerity. And Skull might have bought it, if she had only stopped putting unnecessary emphasis on his new name.

"Then," Fon asked Reborn, "What's the problem?"

Reborn slammed his hands down on the wood table. Skull was the only one who jumped in surprise, causing his balancing chair to tip, depositing him harshly on the unforgiving ground.

"Shit," he muttered, cradling his head. Skull whipped off his helmet and pressed tenderly on the back of his head. Thankfully, the thick surface of his helmet protected him from damage. Fon reached out a hand to help up the younger man, having gotten out of his seat to make sure Skull was okay. Skull nodded silently in thanks and righted his chair.

Reborn sighed, aggravated. "That's exactly what I want to talk about!" he waved his gun meaningfully at Skull as he reseated himself and Fon slid back into his own chair. "He's a clumsy, useless, and all-around idiotic Lackey! How did you not die out there?"

"Admittedly," Lal cut in as Reborn took a breath. "I was wondering the same thing. I thought we would have to drag out Skull's corpse or abort the mission because of him." Viper didn't say anything, but Verde nodded in agreement.

"Tell me how you really feel, assholes," Skull muttered quietly. Fon twitched in surprise next to him and Viper tilted their covered head.

"Ah, this must be rather confusing for the three of you then," Luce agreed. "Skull, if you would?" She smiled down the table at him, her blue eyes challenging.

"The Great Skull is adept at many different skills. I was raised at a circus after all. Knife throwing, juggling, balancing, and dodging are all necessary to survive the cut-throat world of clowns and harlequins." Skull informed them, reaching up to tug petulantly at his lip chain.

"See, Reborn?" Luce smiled up at her right-hand man. "Skull's abilities are perfectly understandable. He's not known as the Deathless Stuntman for nothing." Luce giggled softly as the hitman glanced off to the side in embarrassment.

"Now that Reborn has made an ass of himself," Lal remarked. "Can I leave? I have a call to make."

Luce cupped her hands over each other on the table as she nodded. "I am sorry to have bothered all of you with such a trivial matter."

"It's perfectly alright, Luce," Fon replied. "It is important that we understand Skull's abilities as well. Now, we know what he can do."

"Yes, it seems that way, doesn't it. Thank you for sharing, Skull." Luce thanked the purple haired stuntman. Skull frowned heavily at her. "I want everyone in the kitchen in two hours for dinner. We still have much to talk about."

With that dismissal, Lal fled the room. The other members were slower in leaving, glancing uncertainly at the frowning stuntman, the smiling boss, and the glaring hitman.

"Is something wrong, Skull?" Fon asked when the teen didn't move. Skull ignored him for the moment, focused on Luce.

"Luce," he called out. The woman, obviously expecting it, merely looked away from Reborn to observe the youngest. "I need a new helmet. This one has a scratch on it. It is not suitable for the Great Skull anymore." He lifted his precious helmet in emphasis. Skull didn't comment on the blood stain and dent on the back from the earlier fight. It was the scratch, something that impaired his vision, that concerned him.

"I'll set an order for a new one," she assured him. "The usual designer right? The one that Ginevra uses?"

"If you could," Skull shrugged arrogantly, placing the helmet on the table.

"Is that all?" Luce narrowed her eyes slightly at Skull. He sighed in defeat.

Skull looked around the assembled members of the team. Viper, Verde, Reborn, and Fon were all watching the two interact. Skull was pretty sure Verde even had a pad and pen out, taking notes.

"You mentioned something about Flames?" he tried to tip-toe the subject. Luce's eyes brightened in understanding.

"Oh, you want to learn them now?" she wondered. She put her pointer finger to her lips, pondering a solution for a moment.

Reborn interrupted them with a scoff. "You really don't belong here, Lackey," he sneered. "Why are you one of the seven if you don't even know about Flames?"

"That's enough Reborn," Luce soothed him, reaching up to place her pale hand on his black suit arm. The hitman quieted immediately.

"Bark," Skull snapped his teeth together. Reborn whipped up his arm, his gun pointed at Skull. His coal eyes glared at the stuntman, promising death. At the silent threat, Skull leapt out of his chair, the knife he had tucked into his sleeve spinning around his fingers, ready to be thrown.

"Both of you," Luce snapped. "Sit down."

Skull obeyed her, watching as Reborn merely lowered his arm. He almost wanted to laugh at her slip of composure.

"_You're slipping as well, nephew,"_ Neah informed the teen. Skull ignored the voice inside his head for the first time in over a year. Now wasn't the time to have a conversation with himself.

"Let's talk this out like civilized people, alright? Reborn? Skull?" The two men were silent, eyeing each other angrily. Luce continued as if they had agreed anyway. "Skull, if you want to learn about Flames, Verde would probably be the best. He has been studying them for years," she informed him.

Skull tilted his head, eyeing Verde who returned his look. "Hey, Viper?"

They hummed in acknowledgement as the other four watched in confusion.

"How much do I need to pay you to teach me about Flames?" The cloaked figure tilted their head and Skull could make out a grin on their face.

"₤1,575,000 and a favor," Viper decided after a moment.

"Skull, you really don't need to," Luce argued. "Verde or Fon would be more than happy to teach you."

"But, Luce," Skull blinked at her innocently. "I really want to bond more with Viper. And what better way than through learning a new skill?"

"Well, getting to know your comrades is an admirable goal," Luce hesitated. She bit her lip, looking between Verde and Viper. She sighed. "It's alright with me, as long as Viper agrees with it."

"As long as Skull pays," Viper shrugged. "Then I really don't care."

Skull clapped, a grin spreading across his face. "It's decided then!" he paused, staring into Luce's blue eyes, his smile never falling. "Unless, you want to teach me, Luce?"

Luce froze. "I can't show such blatant favoritism, Skull, you know that. Let's go, Reborn." She stood quickly, rushing out of the room.

"Watch your step, Schizo-Lackey," Reborn sneered, following about the bluenette.

The dim room was quiet as Verde, Viper, and Fon exchanged bewildered looks.

"So, when do we start lessons, Viper?" Skull smiled brightly.

The three stared at him in confusion.

"_So much for hiding in their shadows,_" Neah interjected.

Skull narrowed his eyes. Maybe he needed to reevaluate his original plan. He was starting to stand out way too much for comfort.

He'll give Viper a week to teach him the basics of these 'Flames'. Then, deal with Luce or not, he was leaving.

* * *

**(That joke is Bakanda, if no one got it…)**

**₤ is a lira, the currency for Italy until about the 2000s. One lira is worth LESS than a cent. So, yeah, ₤1,575,000 is more like $880.45/€813.42/£582.50. The favor will come up later, but it'll be fun.**

**(The reason that Skull wanted to work with Viper (who will remain forever gender neutral) instead of Verde will be explained next chapter when he learns about Flames, but it's a headcanon of mine.)**

**I just wanna laugh about the fact that Reborn thinks that not having Flames makes Skull weaker, even though he just proved his strength. What is it gonna take to proof his abilities?**

**(Guest Reviewer Responses:**

**Alai - I'm really sorry, but Reborn/Skullen are definitely not gonna be paired together. At the absolute most, they'll be friends. Kinda like the relationship Allen has with Kanda.**

**Alicia - It will definitely be a yaoi pairing, just not with Reborn. I can't pair them up due to the character set up I have created. Sorry!**

**kK - Yes. Just...yes. I can even see Allen doing that in canon.)**

**This arc of the story will be coming to a close soon. A few more interaction chapters, five at most, then we'll hopefully have the Arcobaleno chapter where Luce is revealed as the bitch that she is. Yay~**

**I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I have returned! Sorry, about the lateness of this chapter though. Long story short; life and writers block decided to punch me in the face at the same time. Either way, I'm back in action~ (for now...)**

* * *

"What!?" Skull shouted, gaping. Viper sniffed in distain when the action revealed the partially chewed food that the stuntman had been eating.

The two were seated on a blanket across from each other. Only two days after agreeing to their arrangement, Viper interrupted Skull's second lunch to drag him outside for their first lesson, and Skull had been understandably annoyed. Even without actively using Crown Clown, Skull needed all of the energy he could get. That meant no cutting in on his eating or sleeping time for anything.

But, Luce had merely watched with an 'If-Only-You-Listened-To-Me' look when Viper had dragged Skull passed the white clad woman. That had immediately shut Skull up. No way was he letting Luce think he was regretting his decision to snub her advice.

Thankfully, Viper was patient enough to allow Skull to pack a picnic, something he refused to leave without.

Viper sighed, thoroughly tired of the questions. This was the third time Skull had interrupted the other when something he heard surprised him.

"Since Dying Will Flames are considered the symbol of the Underworld, it is understandable as to why you know nothing about them. You're only a stuntman from a mediocre circus," Viper informed their companion.

Skull sputtered around the sandwich he was eating, "Only a stuntman?" The teen was actually insulted. He worked hard to be famous as a showy, arrogant, death defying stuntman.

"But," Viper continued, ignoring the put off purple haired teen. "That means you should pay attention to what I'm saying," they hissed, annoyed.

Skull coughed uncomfortably. "Sorry," he muttered. It really wasn't his fault. The idea that civilians, even civilians from the Underground, had such a powerful weapon at their disposal confused him. Could these Flames effect the Noah and their akuma?

"_Since you have it, and I'm not being negatively affected," _Neah cut in. "_Then it probably doesn't work against Dark Matter."_

Skull hummed around his sandwich, acknowledging both of his companions.

"As I was saying," Viper said. "Each of the Strongest Seven has one of the Seven Flames of the Sky, which are refined life energies. Luce has a Sky Flame, a rare Flame that is associated with harmony and leaders-"

"Which I still call bullshit on," Skull stated. "I mean, she's a horrible boss. 'A Boss doesn't do,'" he mocked in a high pitched voice.

Viper gave the stuntman a side look but continued on. "Fon is the Storm Flame, associated with disintegration-"

"I can see Fon as a Sky Flame," Skull admitted. "He's nice to everyone."

"A Boss isn't _nice_," Viper snapped. "They are fair and logical. Emotions have no place in the Underworld."

Skull sneered, "So, you would just follow someone that would willingly throw away your life for a cause?"

"I put too much value on my life to die for someone else's cause," Viper spat. "I will only die for my own selfish desires."

Skull stared into the dark confines of his companion's hood. While he still couldn't see their eyes, he could feel their conviction. Viper refused to die on someone else's whim. He shrugged.

"_But, then again," _Neah added absentmindedly. "_I share your body with Innocence, and Crown Clown has yet to negatively affect me. Nephew, you should probably test this Flame of yours out at a later date."_

Viper took the action as a sign to continue, "Verde is the Lightning Flame, associated with shields and protecting-"

"Now I know you're lying," the exorcist in hiding cried out, dramatically pointing a finger at Viper. "The only thing I can see Verde ever protecting is his own ass! That guy keeps giving me weird looks. I think he wants to experiment on me." Sadly, it was a look that Skull was more than familiar with. He blamed Komui.

The cloaked figure trudged on, wondering when it would finally be done. "Lal is the Rain Flame, associated with tranquility-"

Skull had actually been planning on keeping quiet. But, the mere idea of Lal being described as tranquil caused a roar of laughter.

"Lal? Lal Mirch? Tranquil? Are we even talking about the same woman?" Skull doubled checked. With Viper's slow nod, his laughter increased in volume. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he choked out. "But, we're talking about the woman that bitch-slapped Verde for five minutes straight when he didn't make the minimum time for that survival course during the Team Bonding sessions, right? The woman that threated to run me over with a tank when I woke her up for Reborn and proceeded to actually drive a tank to the cabin? The same woman that somehow carries around a gun larger than her that no one actually notices until she's aiming it at them. That woman?"

"Yes, that woman," Viper sighed.

"I hope you know that I am now taking everything you say with a grain of salt," Skull warned, snickering.

Viper shrugged, their cloak fluttering with the movement. "It doesn't matter to me. You're paying me to teach, the learning is all up to you. Now, Reborn is the Sun Flame, associated with activation and can be used for combat or healing-"

"Reborn…healing someone? That man has worse bedside manners than Kanda. And that's saying something. I fear for the continued health of his patients. Though, I can see him healing someone just so that he can shoot them again. Why do I get the feeling he's going to do that to me?" Skull babbled, tapping an empty dango stick against his leather clad thigh. His other hand casually snapped out to grab at more food.

"If you would let me teach, we could get this done sooner," Viper tried to inform him. Skull blinked at them innocently, his nimble hands shoveling food into his mouth. Viper barely refrained from face-palming at the sight of Skull's chipmunk checks.

"I am the Mist Flame of the Team. Mist Flames are associated with construction and generally connected to illusions," Viper paused, expecting Skull to interject. When he didn't, they turned to him.

Skull shrugged at the vague air of confusion. "What?" he asked. "I think it fits."

Viper, satisfied, continued. "You're the Team's Cloud Flame. Cloud Flames are associated with propagation and loners. Amusingly enough, the color of the Flame is purple, so your features match perfectly."

Skull froze, a forkful of pasta halting before his mouth. A previous conversation rang in his ears.

"_Cloud?"_ Neah wondered. _"Isn't that what the Seer said Mari-"_

Skull dropped the fork on the blanket, not sparing a moment to mourn the waste of food. He slammed his hands over his ears in desperation. "La, la, la, I'm not listening. If I can't hear it, it can't be true!"

Viper felt their eyebrow twitch at the childish display in front of them. "This is hardly a mature reaction," they reasoned. Skull ignored him.

"There is no way, no way _in Hell_, I have the same life energy as Master Cross," Skull laughed hysterically. "It's not true, tell me it's not true," the stuntman moved his hands, cupped his face and tangling his fingers in his short purple hair. He pulled at the roots anxiously. His eyes begged Viper to tell him it was all a cruel prank.

"You're the Cloud Flame of the Team," Viper repeated unsympathetically. Skull whimpered. He tilted his head down, covering his face with his hands.

"Master Cross? That bastard- propagation, what does that even mean?" Skull muttered unintelligibly.

"_It means increasing or replication," _Neah supplied helpfully.

Skull tensed automatically. "Replication? Increasing? This explains so much! The debts, those damned debts, all of it!"

"_How much do you still owe?"_ Neah wondered unhelpfully.

Skull shuddered, his eyes going blank as he started reciting the numbers from heart. "300 guineas to Narrow Waist Fetish Palace, 400 guineas to Sac's Sack, 320 guineas to The Rabbit's Bottom-"

Viper blinked, incredulously watching as their co-worker seemingly had a mental break down. "Skull?" they called.

"-230 guineas to Puff Puff Island, 130 guineas to Mew Mew Garden, 560 guineas to The Clean Castle-"

"Skull?" they repeated.

"-380 guineas to Thigh Paradise, 330 guineas to The Blonde Delight Bar, 470 guineas to The Pantheress' Shangri-La-"

"This is a waste of my time," they muttered, finally deciding to just sit back and wait out Skull's, hopefully temporary, insanity.

"_Your gender ambiguous companion is calling for you, nephew," _Neah noted.

"What?" Skull automatically snapped his head towards Viper. He noticed the other's frustrated frown immediately. "Viper? What's wrong?"

"You were muttering. It was very annoying," they informed him.

"Ah," Skull chuckled nervously. "Automatic reaction, sorry. Hope I didn't freak you out."

Viper actually snorted in amusement. "'Freak me out?' Skull, I use my inner energy to traumatize people, based on images I create on a whim. I can make anything real with my mind. There is no way you having a pathetic mental down will 'freak me out'."

Skull struggled with a response for a moment. On one hand, nothing related to his trauma concerning Master Cross was pathetic. The debt, oh Crown Clown, the debt. On the other hand, he should probably focus on the life-changing lessons that Viper was supposed to be bestowing on him.

And yet…

"The debt," Skull whined.

"Stop being a baby," Viper huffed in disdain. They watched, fascinated, as Skull scooped a whole plate of food into his mouth in order to drown his sorrows. "That might work better with alcohol," they advised.

Skull started in surprised. He quickly swallowed his food and stared at Viper strangely.

"What?" they ordered, shifting slightly. Viper hated to admit it, but Skull staring at them so intensely, not even blinking, was a little uncomfortable. Only a little though.

"You do realize that I'm underage, right?" Skull asked.

Viper tilted their head, absorbing the information. At least they had distracted Skull from his embarrassing breakdown. They also made a mental note to bring up this 'Master Cross' the next time they wanted Skull to leave them alone.

"What country is your homeland, Skull?" Viper questioned.

The stuntman froze. With all the changes he made to his appearance and the attention he paid to his accent, how did Viper notice?

"_You slipped," _Neah noted._ "Italians don't have a pesky drinking age like the United Kingdom does. If you had been born here, you would know that, nephew."_

Skull let a curse slip through, resulting in Viper humming. "I don't really think that's important, Viper."

Viper grinned sharply, their teeth visible through the darkness of their hood. "Didn't you tell Luce that these lessons were an excuse for the two of us to bond? Why don't we get to know each other, Skull?"

"How can Cloud Flames be used in combat?" Skull demanded after a moment of silence. His hands did not stray to grab at the various containers of food that still surrounded the duo.

Viper thought the teenager looked angry for a moment. They let the previous subject drop and answered, "It can be used Internally or Externally. Technically, a Cloud Flame user can increase the abilities of their body if they are careful. They can also increase the size of weapons or increase the number of them. Think of it like an actual cloud. When it absorbs water, it can either break apart into more clouds or increase in size. The water can even change the type of cloud it is, from a cumulous to a cumulonimbus cloud easily."

"Yeah," Skull muttered, "that sounds like Master Cross alright."

"_What would he use it with, however," _Neah wondered._ "Judgement does not need to be replicated or increased, and neither does Maria."_

"Master Cross probably uses it in hand to hand combat. He might even have tested its abilities in correspondence with his weapons," Skull scratched the back of his head as he thought. While he had no doubt Master Cross was alive (screw Apocryphos, nothing could kill the Devil), he didn't really want to risk hunting him down. Such an adventure would only bring the Vatican's attention to him, something he really didn't need.

"As fascinating as it is to watch you talk to yourself," Viper commented. "This might help you better." They reached a hand into the recesses of their cloak and pulled out a book. The book was completely black with a multi-colored jeweled flame decorating the cover instead of a title.

In the center of the flame was orange before it branched out into six different colors. Surrounding the orange zircon jewel was an emerald, a ruby, a heliodor, an amethyst, an aquamarine, and a sapphire. While all the different colors should mesh horribly, Skull was mesmerized. The gems tugged at something inside him, something he was unfamiliar with.

"This book has all the answers you need, about Flames, Harmonizing, and Weaponizing. It's all in here," Viper stated, cradling the book delicately as they held it out to the stuntman.

Skull flinched, "Ah, about that…" he trailed off uncertainly.

"What is it now?" Viper hissed. They pulled the book back, hugging it towards their chest. Skull eyed it, a burning desire to look inside causing him to pause.

"_There seems to be a strange compulsion on the book, nephew," _Neah recognized._ "I assume it is so that fledgling Flame users like yourself feel the need to learn about your abilities. Ignorance will only harm others, after all."_

"There is a reason I refused Luce suggestion of Verde," Skull explained. "And it's not just because it was Luce who said it. It's just…Verde seems like the kind of person that would ask too many questions and only let me rely on written information. I doubt he has the time or patience to explain it all to me personally." Skull prattled, his right hand nervously rubbing his covered left arm.

"Is there something wrong with that approach?" Viper prodded.

"It usually wouldn't be, but, I just…I can't read," Skull murmured.

Viper blinked for a moment. It made sense to the miser. They already figured out that Skull was not originally from Italy. His verbal understanding of the language was exceptional, but he could have learned that without being taught. Learning to read and write another language was harder, in Viper's experience.

"Very well," they gently opened the book and ran their hand against the first page. "What language can you read? I'll change the text, for an additional charge."

Skull fidgeted. This wasn't something he liked admitting. With the Black Order, he had Finders to help or even a partnering Exorcist that he could trick into explaining the mission. But, this was one of his co-workers, someone that he was supposed to fight beside and possibly bleed with. He didn't want the other to think less of him for it.

"I can't read at all," he admitted.

Viper's cloaked head shot up in surprise. They had not been expecting that.

Uncomfortable, Skull continued, just wanting to say something. The air was too quiet for comfort. "I mean, I was raised in a circus, there wasn't really time for grammar lessons. My father was too focused on other matters and Master Cross was a busy man." On the upside, Skull could read music like it was his native language. Mana took the Noah title of 'The Musician' very seriously. He just wasn't aware enough to realize the street rat he took in could not read. Skull wasn't really sure if Master Cross noticed or if he just didn't care.

Viper sighed, frustrated. "Fine," they cut in, shutting Skull up.

The stuntman fidgeted under the covered gaze of the other, tapping his fingers against his legs in a complicated rhythm to rest his nerves. He used his heartbeat as a metronome, slowly calming down as Viper stared.

"I'll just have to read it to you," they finally stated. "You owe me a big favor, Skull."

* * *

**Okay, short story long; I'm home from college and I got a job for the first time in over a year. Also, my family is moving into our fifth house in the last two years, so I have been annoyingly busy. Figures that I'll get less writing done during Summer Break than I did during school. I was actually worried that all of you would have to wait for a month until I could update again…**

**Imma be completely honest and say that I rewrote this chapter three times. Yeah, I never rewrite chapters. They usually just happen. **

**But, anyway, Neah! Yeah, he's never gonna call Allen/Skull by name. Mainly because, our adorable protagonist really doesn't have a single name he identifies with. So, adorable nephew and just nephew is really it. The Seer is Luce though. He has no reason to remember her name himself. **

**Ah, the drinking thing is true. Italians have no drinking age for alcohol but their buying age is 18. The United Kingdom has a drinking and purchasing age of 18. Legally, there are exceptions to the law in the United Kingdom that allows for 16 year olds to drink, but Imma stick with the 18 year olds. It's a little less of a headache. **

**Yeah, my head cannon is that Allen was never taught how to read. It really makes sense, cause who would teach him and why? I mean, Mana had no reason to and Cross had his hands full with making Allen pay off debts. With the letter at the beginning, Skull had Ginevra and the Boss to read it to him and help him memorize the address. **

**GUEST REVIEWS:**

**Guest (1): Oh, it'll be a real eye opener for the Arcobaleno. Allen's good at playing his parts, after all. **

**kiba-chan: I have no doubt that Reborn could protect Skull. Personally, I have no issue with the pairing, I just want to try something different. Reborn, if I wrote it that way, could be a good lover for Skull. But, since I have not and I'm using Allen, I don't feel like Reborn would be the best option. (Honestly, it makes sense in my head, I swear.) I can promise that it won't be Yullen, as much as I love that pairing. Kanda will appear and have his moments though. I just want, in the end, to have Skull and Reborn's interactions to be similar to Kanda and Allen's. However, maybe at a later date, I can write something for Allen/Skull and Reborn as a separate story. I MAKE ABSOLUTELY NO PROMISES THOUGH, SO PLEASE, NO ONE NAG ME ABOUT IT.**

**Guest (2): Haha, sorry. It's a weakness of mine as well, but I'm going for a different angle this time around.**

**Guest (3): Haha, I'm glad that's made you happy! Imma admit, the Vongola will eventually come in. The story is focused more on the Arcobaleno though, so hopefully that won't annoy you too much.**

**S: Haha, I'm really glad that you've enjoyed that story so much! It is a conundrum, I'll admit it. I am finalizing the pairing, but it still wont be seen for a while. And what a freak-out he will have~ (I am sorry about the delay though...)**

**Cloud on the Cloud: I'm really glad that you've enjoyed the story so far! Haha, that scene actually isn't too far off from what I have planned for after the 'Fated Day'! Unfortunately, while there will be moments that will borderline, I've recently re-read the manga and fell in love with KandaxAlma again...my bad...**

**That's your longer than usual chapter! I hope everyone enjoyed it!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I decided to try something a little different for this chapter. Originally, I was gonna start the Fated Day arc, but I wanted to put one more mission in. Admittedly, this mission is just an excuse for writing for Skull and Viper interactions. I regret nothing.**

**I also own nothing. **

* * *

Skull huffed, brushing a speck of dirt off of his new tux. The massive ball room of the Guarnire Family loomed over his head as the general chatter of the gathered Mafioso surrounded him.

Skull really hated fancy dances.

But, even though he had just started learning about his Flame the day before, Luce had somehow gotten the thought into her head that he was ready for another mission. A mission involving a mafia ball. There was absolutely no way this was going to end badly.

"Is there something wrong with your tuxedo?" Viper mused beside him. For once, the miser didn't stand out. They were dressed in a floor length dark purple dress, with sleeves that ran the entire expanse of their arm. The fabric closed around their neck, making their face the only section of skin visible. Even their hands were hidden in the folds of the outfit. To the stuntman, the deep, masculine voice they had chosen only completed the picture.

Skull made note of the long black hair that had replaced Viper's short purple bob.

"So, an illusion?" he muttered to himself. It made sense to the stuntman. The Strongest Seven only had two women in the group and men entering alone usually were deemed suspicious upon entry. While he had been paired up with Viper, Reborn was with Luce and Verde was with Lal. Fon had been elected to also be draped in Viper's Mist Flames to make him a woman.

Not that Fon and Viper were the only ones who were undercover. Luce's body was bloated and her hair bleached to blonde; she gave a passing impression of pregnancy. With Reborn, shorter and far more muscular, looming behind her, she had the perfect excuse of a mafia wife with an overprotective lover.

Verde, taller and tanner, and Lal, covered in burn scars with bubblegum pink hair, were a hit-couple for hire, attending the event in hopes of gaining potential clients. Meanwhile, Skull was a wealthy investor with a shady background who dragged his shy wife along with him. The one upside that the former exorcist could find was that Viper had taken his input into account and merely darkened his skin so it wasn't white as snow and made his hair long and red.

Skull wondered if it was how he would have looked if his family had kept him. If he hadn't been born with his burdened arm.

Fon, dubbed Fiona for the night, was playing the part of the entertainment for the ball. He was also the main force of the mission. Don Guarnire had contacted the Strongest Seven's benefactor, who only Luce seemed to know, and asked for the Team to attend his ball undercover. He wanted them to sleuth out any traitors in his Family or allies.

Before the guests had started to arrive, the Team had met their employer of the night. Casimiro Guarnire was, for a Mafia Boss, a loyal and protective man. He had told the Flame Users about how his child had the misfortune of being born a woman, making her the target of kidnaping attempts and rape cases, not to mention bigoted traditionalists. It went over the top when someone started leaving her threatening letters, detailing exactly what they wanted to do to her, on her bedside table.

Terrified for the life of his only child, Casimiro turned to outside sources to fix the problem. Skull was more than happy to lend a hand.

And so, the plan was born. Fon would try to listen in on any interesting conversations as he flitted around the large room. Everyone else was to observe the guests and act as back up incase Fon ran into a problem. If they were lucky, the perpetrator might approach Lal and Verde for their skills. For the moment, the Team was relying on luck, something that none of them were happy about.

"Sorry to disappoint," Viper commented, amused. They were wrapped around Skull's arm, peering out at the rest of the room's inhabitants from his side. "I could show you my real face, for a simple fee."

Skull chuckled, smiling down at his partner adoringly. "I know what you define as a small fee, Fina," he tacked on the fake name, noting the approach of members of the Guarnire Family.

"Mr. and Mrs. Alfieri, yes?" the three men greeted.

Viper shied back, hiding in their 'husband's' shadow at the trio's appearance. Skull calmly patted their hand in reassurance. The duo's sharp eyes caught the men making note of their actions. The professional performer smothered a smirk with a friendly nod.

"Dario and Fina, please," he corrected, reaching out with his free hand, Viper having a vice grip on the other.

"Boss Guarnire is wanted to apologize for the inconvenience to your wife, Mr. Alfieri," the middle man stated, pushing passed common pleasantries. The immediate distaste on his companions' faces did not cause him to falter.

Skull chuckled warmly. "After all the help we have given to the Guarnire Family, it is only right that we attend this event together, isn't that right, darling?"

Viper stared down the other men, causing the impatient and rude one to shift slightly. Skull was happy they kept to the plan. The miser was used to messing with people's mind, but Skull was used to playing the part. For once, he was the teacher and they were the student.

"I am sorry, gentlemen, Fina is a little shy," the temporary brunet chuckled. The men nodded and said a few more pleasantries before leaving the scene.

"That was more amusing than I thought it would be," Viper noted. "I was not expecting you to plan the good natured husband so well."

"You don't think I'm good natured?" Skull asked, false hurt coating his voice. The former exorcist well knew that his newest persona relied more heavily on playing on the actor hype than the gentleman/hero routine he previously used. There was no room for a 'nice guy' in show biz.

"You keep others at a distance," the Mist noted.

"I'm an actor, Viper," he informed the other. "I am always exactly what I need to be. Now, cower a little more, Boss Guarnire's right-hand man approaches."

Without a thought, Viper followed the order, shying behind their pseudo-husband's back.

"Dario," Ernesto, the right-hand of the Guarnire, barked. "How is your son? Still picking fights?"

Skull didn't even pause to blink, though he felt Viper falter. They knew that the people they were impersonating were real, (as if a good Mafioso wouldn't make sure the guests of their own party weren't spies or assassins in disguise, invitation from the Don himself or not) but everyone so far had been distant with the 'civilian couple'.

"Which one?" Skull mused, his fourth chuckle of the night slipping passed his lips. "Leone is trying to set the record for the most detentions for a preschooler and Marcello was suspended just last week. Nearly drove Fina to insanity."

With the easy opening that Skull left for the man, Ernesto turned his attention to the woman of the trio. "I see you finally brought your wife along with you. How is she liking the ball?"

"Fina loves to dress up," Skull stated blandly.

Ernesto nodded stiffly, and left just as abruptly as he arrived.

"I don't think I like him," Viper commented, their voice deepening to a growl.

"According to research, Ernesto is known to bed a different woman each night and is firm in his belief that the finer sex are mere property to the men of the world. I am surprised that any self-respecting woman in the mafia hasn't cut out his heart yet," Skull remarked, his eyes idly following a beautiful woman as she travelled around the room. Dario Alfieri was not known for being faithful. There was many reasons he never brought his wife to an event before.

The woman, Fiona, felt the stare and looked up, grey eyes connecting with his Misted brown pair. The entertainer winked at the unfaithful husband.

"What have you found, husband of mine," Viper questioned blandly.

"Even if he is the most likely suspect, I don't think it was him," Skull stated. "While he's misogynistic, he seems to care about those under his care. Him asking about you and our children is proof enough."

"He asked you about me, even though I was standing right in front of him," Viper reminded him.

"And it's a good thing he did," Skull muttered. Viper using such a voice would have, no doubt, tipped off the paranoid man.

"What was that?" Viper's deep masculine voiced growled.

"Just that you make a surprisingly good wife," he quickly amended.

"Should I take that as a compliment?" Viper mused. Skull only shrugged. The Mist user could take it as a compliment or as an insult, it worked either way.

With an air for reserved confidence, the pair meandered around the ballroom, greeting other guests whenever approached. After meeting the Heiress herself, Skull stifled a yawn. He had been hoping the Team would be chasing down the target by now, dodging bullets and breaking bones. The continuous small talk and fake smiles fit Allen more than it fit Skull and it grated on the stuntman's nerves.

His lazy, half-mast eyes snapped open when the chandelier lights flickered. Viper and Skull snapped to attention, their eyes focused on the ceiling. The dancing and casual chatting ground to a stop, everyone watching the ceiling as faint thumps reached their ears.

"Now, the fun begins," Skull bared his teeth, startling the Mafioso nearest to the duo.

"Adrenaline junkie," Viper insulted calmly, not looking away from the ceiling. Before Skull could wittily respond, there was a long bang. The Mafioso whipped out their guns while the entertainers and weaker arm candy screamed as the roof caved in. A black form fell from the hole, flying towards the unforgiving ground.

Skull's sharp eyes tracked the form, noticing when a second figure, the attacker, followed them through the air.

"Looks like Fon found the target," Viper noted, their voice shifting from deep and masculine to light and feminine. Skull slid his eyes away from his falling co-worker, watching as purple mist surrounded his partner. Already, he could feel his own disguise bleeding away, his short purple hair and tear drop tattoo revealed to the world.

The actor sighed as the Mafioso around the duo shoving their guns under his nose. "Was now really the time, Viper?" he asked, eyeing the weapon. At the close range, barely an inch from his face, Skull would need the assistance of his partner to survive if his attackers proved to have an itchy trigger fingers. If only Viper had waited a couple minutes more.

In the distance, Skull saw Fon grab the target out of the air, flipping before they hit the ground. He cradled the target in his arms, the lack of movement showing they were either dead or unconscious. Skull was riding on unconscious, seeing as Don Guarnire asked the Team to capture the man alive. Reborn would be insufferable if the Team didn't perform perfectly for such a simple mission. Not that he wouldn't bitch later about how the mission was too easy for a Team with the 'World's Greatest Hitman'.

The man needed a reality check, badly.

"I thought you were looking forward to 'busting some heads'," Viper commented, amused. Exasperated, Skull turned to the miser, pausing to blink in surprise.

Instead of returning to their normal form, Viper had chosen to Mist themself into a brunet, wearing an indigo tuxedo. Once again, the voice they were using greatly contracted their physical form.

"…you're really having fun with this aren't you?" he deadpanned.

"Was there any doubt?" Skull could only shrug. He couldn't the blame the other for finding ways to amuse themselves. To him, Viper was in the perfect position, with their illusion powers, to be a prankster. One even better than Timothy ad Lavi combined and that thought nearly brought shivers to the teen. "Unfortunately for you," they continued. "It looks like Fon completed the mission by himself."

Skull huffed. "At least I got free food out of it," he muttered, petulantly shoving his hands into his pants' pockets.

* * *

**V****iper is a strong, independent human being. They don't need no gender identification. **

**I just really wanted to call Fon Fiona, I will not deny this. **

**Guest Reviews:**

**Guest - Viper and Skull will be close due to their mentor/student relationship. It's adorable~**

**Gomenasai - I'll admit, I'm taking a lot of writers privilege with this headcannon of mine. In my world, Mana taught Allen the code verbally. To me, the code (and musical notes due to his Musician title) is the only written language that Allen can read. He can't exactly ask Viper to change the words to a language that only he can recognize, now can he? I don't remember the letter, so I'm not sure if anyone read it to him in cannon, but for this story, Allen just tricked someone else into reading it for him. I rewatched a part of the series, and Allen stated that he read the code as a poem, but someone else inside him was changing it into a song. So, with Neah's influence, Allen automatically added the musical parts of the song, while he read the lyrics through the code. (Haha, don't worry, you haven't offended me. If anything, I'm glad that you're asking question concerning the story. Sorry for confusing you, though! I hope you continue to enjoy the story~)**

**linderpotaku - Haha, yep, I'm back~ Verde? Hm, it's more of a set up for their future relationship, but yeah, in a way. I mean, Verde likes his experiments, so he'll "like" 'Skullen' when he gets the chance to strap the anomaly to a steel table. **

**Silly-Thinking - Surprisingly, that scene was something that helped solidify my plan to write Skull!Allen. It'll definitely be amusing though. It's not truly Skull without Oodaku after all~**

**S - Haha, I'm glad you liked that scene~ Thanks so much for pointing that out though! I've rectified the mistake and will try to make sure it never happens again. Aw, you're making me blush! I'm really happy that you're enjoying story so much, though!**

**Curious Guest - I already have plans for his purifying helmet being connected to the Black Order and Akuma, but while I've heard of the undead body technique, Imma have to do more research on it before I can make a firm call on it. At the moment, it'll be related to his Noah genes, though. Thanks for asking!**

**Ghost Guest - That's true, there is a number of them. Squalo, Byakuran, Gokudera, Ryohei, etc. Skull will no doubt be bewildered when he meets them. **

**I hope everyone enjoyed this light-hearted chapter! Next, the Fated Day arc starts and Luce gets what's coming to her~ **


	9. Chapter 9

**This chapter has me laughing like a hyena. It's shorter than usual, but damn, I really like it. It's the start of the 'Fated Day' arc, so it's full of betrayal, drama, and identity issues. Yay~**

**I don't own D. Gray-Man or Katekyo Hitman Reborn**

* * *

Skull slouched on top of the purple blanket of his overly lavish bed, staring up at the off-white ceiling of his designated room. Two black suitcases rested against his nearby wardrobe, already packed and waiting for when he finally left.

Skull sighed. The week was almost up, the number of hours ticking by steadily. But, the stuntman wasn't sure what he was planning on doing next. With his limited skills, there really wasn't much he could fall back on.

He'll even need to abandon his newest identity to escape the mafia he was going to turn his back on. He'll have to leave Ginevra and Boss behind and have Skull de Mort die in a tragic stunt accident.

"_I've always been partial to Brenin Lloyd," _Neah stated. _"You could be a musician or a butler."_

Skull hummed in agreement, his mind miles away. Trapped in a dark castle, with smiling faces that welcomed him home and who he wanted so desperately to protect, but were currently after his head.

"_We can't stay here, beloved nephew,"_ Neah warned. _"I can feel him encroaching on us. We've been in one place for too long."_

"Ignoring Luce and Reborn, it has been nice here. Surrounded by comrades once again," Skull lamented, trailing off with a sad frown.

"_Comrades that you can never truly trust," _the Noah reminded him. _"You need to keep on walking forward, nephew, through any problem you might face. That is the life you live."_

"A life without comrades…" Skull mourned. He fled to protect those he cared about, but how could he protect them if he was so far away? Maybe, just maybe, Luce had a point.

"_You'll always have Crown Clown and myself," _Neah informed the stuntman. _"The Earl's Play can't continue without all of the players. By fleeing, you have locked the War into a standstill. Now, both sides are in a race to force the final piece back onto the field. Your only choice is to continue forward."_

Absorbing his uncle's words, Skull relaxed into his bed, allowing his painted eyelids to slip shut.

"And then the boy fell asleep," Skull sang, sinking into memories that would best be left alone. "And one or two embers in the fading ashes of the fire-"

"_Flared up in the shape of a beloved face,"_ Neah joined, their voices tangling together in a delicate harmony.

"Dreaming many thousands of dreams," Skull continued, ignoring the tears he could feel slipping passed his closed right eyelid. "Spreading across the land. Your silver grey eyes shine their light, like stars falling down from the nig-!"

Skull's soft lullaby was cut off as someone knocked loudly on his locked door. His grey eyes, not yet hidden behind his colored contacts, snapped open, swinging around to glare holes into the wood.

"Allen, are you there?" a familiar, and unwanted, voice asked into the sudden silence.

"Go away Luce," Skull barked, sitting up and rubbing angrily at his tear stained face.

"We need to talk, Allen," she continued. Skull huffed, swinging his legs over the side of his bed. He buried his sockless toes into the fluffy purple rug for a moment. "Allen?"

"I'm coming," he muttered and stood up. With four long strides, he reached the door and loosely gripped the knob. He really didn't want to let the Sky in or talk with her.

"_Just think about it,"_ Neah encouraged. _"This'll be the last time you have to deal with her."_

Taking Neah's words to heart, Skull eased open the door reluctantly. The moment Luce could enter, she calmly strolled in, looking as if she owned the excessively purple room.

Skull's cursed eye twitched in annoyance, but he merely clicked the door closed once again, thumping his head gently against the wood. "What do you want, Luce?"

The Sky took a moment to respond, choosing to eye the entirety of the room instead. She paused at the sight of the two packed suitcases.

"You're leaving," she stated, spinning around to stare at Skull with her soft blue eyes.

Skull didn't bother trying to lie and nodded tiredly, still refusing to face the marked woman.

"Allen, you can't! You're needed here!" she exclaimed, trying to appeal to the former exorcist.

"I'm needed here? Just like I'm needed at the Black Order? I'm not one of your toys, Luce," Skull snapped, spinning around angrily. "I can _feel _it approaching. I've let you play your game, but I need to pull out now. There's too much at stake!"

"You think you enemies are the only threats to this world?" Luce demanded, indignant.

"They're the only threat that I care about," Skull stated, taking a step towards to the arrogant mafia Donna. "I'm not some superhero that solves every problem I face. I'm a monster in a war of monsters!"

They were quiet for a moment, both watching each other, waiting for some sort of sign.

Luce let out a breath first. "One more mission, Allen. One more, and we can kill you off officially. No one will know and you can start all over again somewhere else." Her blue eyes tried to pierce Skull's grey pair as sincerity coated her voice.

"_Having the word of a Mafia Boss and the leader of the Team confirm your death would make it more believable. It'll even prevent a third party from chasing after you," _Neah mused hesitantly.

"But, do we really want to be in debt to Luce?" Skull wondered, staring over Luce's shoulder, at the reflection of his uncle in the window. Neah shrugged, his hands falling into the pockets of his beige coat.

"_We might not have a choice in the matter, nephew,"_ Neah admitted. _"We need to leave, and soon. We can worry about the consequences later, when I can't feel Apocryphos' filthy breath on the back of my neck."_ The shade grimaced, reaching up to rub at his raised hairs. He chanced a look behind him, just to be sure.

"Allen?" Luce murmured as Skull frowned heavily. With the threat of Apocryphos hanging over head, the former exorcist really didn't have time to debate the matter.

"Only one more mission, Luce. Then I'm gone and Skull de Mort will cease to exist," Skull swore.

Luce gave the runaway a thin smile. "Only one more mission, Allen," she promised.

* * *

**Hahahaha, Luce, you bitch. **

**Imma admit, my fascination with Skull and Viper's interactions is because I have actively debated with myself as to if I should write another D. Gray-man/Katekyo Hitman crossover where Allen is Viper instead. So, that's why I always have moments between the two. They are adorable, though.**

**Guest Reviews: **

**kiba-chan - It's going good, and yourself? Haha, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I think I've finally chosen who 'Skullen' will be with, though it might change in the future. Eventually, 'Skullen' will meet with the majority of his past, including Tyki and Road. It just might take a while. Currently, the relationship between 'Skullen' and Neah is benevolent and they really trust each other. Neah is really all 'Skullen' has, after all. **

**Guest. Says. Hi - Ah, my fault for bad wording. It means that Luce, like practically every other shady woman in the world, knew Cross and that he's a Cloud Flame user, like Skull, Hibari, etc. While, it really would be interesting if he was the previous Cloud Arcobaleno, it wasn't where I was going with that line. On that note, Holy Shit, that short scene was actually pretty awesome. Even though it wasn't where I was going with the story, it's really cool to think about Reborn and Cross, two characters that have so much in common, being close friends and Cross trusting Reborn with his apprentice, only for Reborn to fail in his duties. If you ever wrote that, I would read it in a heartbeat!**

**Guest - I'm excited too~ That'll come in after the Fated Day arc, in what Imma call the Fifteen Years arc (cause I'm original like that). I've debated that situation a lot and my best response is that the Black Order and the Noah will be involved. Anything other than that, I'm still trying to work out. Haha, Luce will get what's coming to her~ I'm firm in the belief that Reborn really let's his ego get to him. Being called the 'World's Greatest Hitman' and made the Right Hand Man of the Sky of the Strongest Seven went to his head. Like Skull says, Reborn needs a reality check. Thankfully, Checkerface has just the perfect reality check for our favorite seven!**

**Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this shorter than usual chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10

**This chapter was surprisingly hard to write. Admittedly, I wrote the first draft while I was really tired and that never ends well. **

**Anyway, I don't own D. Gray Man or Katekyo Hitman Reborn.**

* * *

Skull wondered if this was what it was like to be kidnapped. He was slung over Fon's shoulder as the Team trekked up a mountain at Luce's orders. After trying to throw himself off the edge four times, the more sensible members of the Team decided that their 'weakest' member needed to be forced along for the sake of his own health.

Everyone had ignored Reborn's comment about allowing the stuntman to rid the world of his idiocy.

"Where are we even going?" Skull muttered into the back of Fon's cheongsam. He still couldn't believe they were hiking up a mountain. It seemed more like something Lal Mirch did for fun. How was this 'Strongest Seven Mission' worthy?

"_Watch yourself, nephew," _Neah warned. _"I am starting to think we should have left last night."_

Skull barely suppressed a shiver. Not only was something off about this mission, but he could still feel Apocryphos approaching. His gloved left hand shook in revulsion, flexing noticeably against Fon's back, at the thought of the sentient Innocence.

"Is something wrong, Skull?" Fon asked, feeling his comrade's movement.

Reborn scoffed from the front of the line. "The coward's probably quivering in fear. Grow a damn backbone, Schizo-Lackey!" the man didn't bother turning around, continuing to stalk after his Sky.

Luce snuck a look over her shoulder, connecting gazes with Skull for a brief moment.

"Just this last mission," Skull reminded his uncle. "Maybe Luce'll push us off the cliff. No one would survive that fall."

"Don't go trying to commit suicide on us and leave me with all of these idiots," Viper warned, huffing as they trudged behind. Fon smiled. "These idiots and Fon," they amended after a moment.

Skull chuckled. "Don't worry, Viper. I have no plans on dying anytime soon," he promised, his purple disguised eyes gleaming. "There is still so much I have to do."

"_The Swordsman would survive," _Neah noted.

"Ya know what they say, nothing can kill an idiot," Skull muttered.

"That explains why Reborn is still breathing, even with all of his suicide missions," Fon remarked, startling a laugh out of Viper.

"I thought the phrase was that idiots can't catch colds," Verde added, saddling up to the trio.

"That works too," Skull noted. "Has anyone ever seen Reborn sick?"

Contemplating the stuntman's words, the other three stared intently at the 'World's Greatest Hitman's' back. Reborn stiffened and snapped his head around once he noticed the eyes drilling holes into his spine.

"And just what are the four of you talking about?" Reborn asked, lifting his ever present gun with a dark look.

"We were just wondering where you got your suit from, Senpai!" Skull chirped. "Verde needs a material that won't irritate his skin when he's using his more volatile chemicals!" Skull arched his back and placed his hands on Fon's shoulders so the hitman could see his face, albeit he was upside down. The stuntman proceeded to flash the older man one of Allen's signature smiles. Skull watched as the hitman blinked in surprise before nodding firmly and snapping back around. Chuckling quietly to himself, Skull eased his body out of its contortion to that he was resting over Fon's shoulder once again.

"If you ever use that voice again," Viper warned. "I will make you think you're a bird."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Skull argued. Since he enjoyed controlled falling with the aid of Crown Clown, he bet that being a bird would be amazing.

"It'll be fine until you jump off a building thinking that you have wings," Viper reminded him. The other three stared at the Mist User in surprise.

"I had not realized that Mist Flames could influence the mind to such a degree," Verde admitted, watching Viper intensely. The cloaked miser shrugged in response.

"It's a weapon, just like your Flames are," they informed the scientist. Verde hummed, his green eyes distant as he, no doubt, thought over the properties of each Flame.

"You really shouldn't give scientists ideas, Viper," Skull warned, lifting his head of Fon's back to come face to face with his teacher.

"Quiet, Skull, the adults are talking," Viper quipped, reaching their hand out to lightly press Skull's face into Fon's spine.

The stuntman's responding sputter was muffled by Fon's cheongsam. The three aforementioned adults laughed at his plight.

"We are here," Luce's soft voice broken through their laughter, silencing the entire Team. Quiet, they arrived on the flat top of the mountain, Fon pausing only for a moment to gently flip Skull off his shoulder, making sure his feet were steady on the ground.

They spread out, exploring the flat surface. Skull noticed Lal Mirch retreating slightly down the slope, but ignored her in favor of the view before him. He could see over the trees and the green reminded him painfully of the forest surrounding the Black Order Headquarters. So many memories….

The last time he was in those woods, he was fleeing from his friends, side by side with their mortal enemies as he was chased by the 'Ultimate Good', who wanted to merge with him.

What kind of horrible person was Allen in a past life to deserve this fate?

"_Nephew, you should leave. Now."_ Neah snapped, shifting uncomfortably in the dark corners of Skull's mind.

Skull looked at his comrades, searching for a clue as to what they were doing here. All five were watching Luce, who was staring resolutely at the sky.

"Luce…" Skull started. "What's going on?" He gazed around the top of the mountain. Everyone was watching the Sky, waiting for orders. Skull was done with orders and Skies and the mafia. He could feel the same impending doom as Neah and was highly tempted to simply jump. He'd survive, but it would hurt, and hurt a lot. If only his companions hadn't stopped his previous attempts.

"I'm sorry," Luce whispered to the wind, shutting her eyes tightly as tears began to slither down her checks.

No one moved. No one, that is, except Skull, who stepped towards the Sky warningly.

"Luce…" Skull growled. His eyes snapped around, searching desperately for the threat. Every honed sense demanded that he get off the mountain _right now._

"Luce," Reborn echoed the stuntman, his voice small, broken and coated with betrayal. Luce ignored both of them.

"_Get away from here!" _Neah shouted, his voice reverberating inside Skull's head.

The top of the mountain lit up, a blinding orange light that surrounded the Seven Strongest Members of Society.

In the distance, Skull could vaguely hear a scream, a name being called.

"Lal!"

* * *

**You guys guessed it~ The Fated Day has arrived! Now, the real fun begins. This arc will have, I believe, two more chapters to it before I get into the Fifteen Year arc. That's my version of the Fifteen years before cannon. That arc shouldn't take more than eight or nine chapters, at the absolute most. Then we get Tsuna~**

**I love how everyone kinda just exploded at the idea of Viper!Allen/Allen!Viper. So, I've started working on it, though it'll be a while before it sees the light of day. It's surprisingly hard, since I don't want it to be just a remake of this story. As such, Imma have it focus on the Varia, just like how this is focused on the Arcobelano. (As such, maybe that'll be the story where I have Reborn/Allen. What do the reviewers who have been asking for Reborn/Allen think of that?)**

**EVERYONE, the wonderful KeiGinya did fanart for the In Cognito Mission from Chapter 8. We agreed that Fon makes one fine woman, so they recreated him! It's at penougi. deviantart art/Fon-539036641. (If it doesn't work, can someone inform me so that I can make a link on my profile?) It's just beautiful~**

**Guest Reviews:**

**Ying - I'm glad that you're enjoying it! Yeah, he'll interact with specific D. Gray Man characters during the Fifteen Year arc, that's kinda why it's gonna be so long. (You just read my mind~) Yeah, the anti-arcobelano waves won't kill 'Skullen', though they will definitely weaken him. Even the strongest person in the world is susceptible to poison. But, Byakuran is evil for a reason. There's 'Skullen's' enemies, who would be more than happy to see him dead to think about. What, with the Vatican, Apocryphos, and the (more vindictive)Noah (like Sheryl...) running around, it wouldn't be too hard for Byakuran to temporarily ally himself to kill off 'Skullen'. Haha, thanks for reading my work~**

**Yukan - Haha, I'm glad that you're enjoying the story! Um, it's not that Reborn will become humble all of a sudden because of the Curse. But, he's the alpha dog, a ladies man that gets what he wants. A person feared and revered by the Underworld. Getting turned into a baby, the epitome of innocence and adorableness is like a kick to arrogance's nuts. NO ONE would take him seriously at first. It's just...would you want to be turned into a baby? The Fifteen Year arc will be full of time skips, cause it's the fifteen years before the beginning of cannon. But, it's a necessary part of the story, so it might take a while before we get to Tsuna...But, the Fated Day arc will only be about three to four chapters total, if that means anything to you.**

**Guest - Haha, will do! It might take some time though, since I have so many stories in the ropes already. **

**KK - Haha, will do~ They're all really good questions though :3**

**ame - Sorry, but while there might be Reborn/Skull bonding in the story, there won't be a Reborn/Skull pairing. **

**kiba-chan - Haha, exactly~ Yup! Among other things. Alright, I might as well tell, so that it's finally out in the air. At the moment, my plan is Xanxus/Skull. (*braces for the inevitable explosion*)**

**S - Fast updates are the best~ Haha, I can't wait either! It'll be so much fun to write. Can you image their reaction to Tyki saying something like 'He's the first human to strip a Noah to their underwear'? It would be beautiful if Luce/Aria/Uni was there as well. Yeah, Imma start working on that story, though it might take awhile. **

**Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I wanna wail about how hard this chapter was to write. Cause, holy shit, it was. I needed to stay in character, but no one is going to react positively to this Curse. No one. Ugh, it was a pain in the ass.**

**Anyway, I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn or D. Gray Man. **

* * *

There was a blaring sound in his mind. He couldn't think.

Names, faces, memories flashed behind his eyelids, snippets of his life.

Skull, the arrogant showman that defied death with his mere existence.

Allen, the tragic hero who hid behind a fake smile and a long dead clown.

Red, the defiant street rat that refused to bow to anyone.

Demon, the whimpering child that wanted to know where his mother and father were.

Names and faces and memories, that's all he was.

"_Nephew! Nephew, please wake up!" _

What a life this body has lived. So full of sadness and misery. Maybe, he should just go to sleep, let someone else take the burden that came with his names.

Let someone else be the Destroyer of Time, the Beloved Child of God, the Traitor, the Noah. Let someone else save those who would rather stick a knife in his back.

He just wanted to sleep.

"_Nephew, please!"_

Skull's eyes snapped open with a gasp. He was on his back, staring up at the cloudless sky. He could hear voices, familiar voices, shouting nearby.

But, something was wrong. Something was _really_ wrong.

"Neah," he murmured, his uncle's frantic shouting quieting at his awakening.

"Skull," he heard Viper mutter as their cloaked head appeared in his vision. He squinted. Something was wrong with Viper's head. It was…smaller. "Skull, are you alright?" Their voice was higher.

Skull lifted his right hand in front of his face slowly. His hand was chubby and his fingers barely twitched when he moved to form a fist. His arm was bare and almost painfully thin. Panicking, Skull immediately pulled a fine layer of Mist Flames over his body, hiding the worst of the damages on his smaller self.

"_I'm sorry, Nephew," _Neah babbled. "_I'm so sorry. I should have stopped this. We should have never agreed to the Seer. I am so sorry."_

"What…happened?" he asked, turning wide eyes to Viper. The miser blinked in surprise, faced with Skull's grey eyes instead of the purple pair they were used to. They noticed the use of their student's secondary Flames, but disregarded it. Everyone deserved their secrets and insecurities.

"Luce led us into a Curse," they informed him. "We are…Arcobelano now. Babies."

Skull furrowed his eyebrow, an expression that Viper didn't hesitate to label as adorable on the stuntman's babified face. "This was what she was hiding? This was the future she refused to stop?" he snarled.

"You knew about this?" a darker voice interrupted Viper from questioning their student. Reborn, a baby just like the other six members of the Team, loomed over the pair. "You knew about this and didn't say anything?"

Skull was kind enough to ignore the crack in the hitman's voice.

He hardened his nerves. "I knew that Luce was hiding something," he allowed. "I knew that she was leading us to ruin, but I saw no reason to stop us."

Reborn laughed harshly. "Was the Schizo afraid of telling the truth? Were you too big a coward to tell the rest of us?"

"I have nothing to say to you, Reborn," Skull stated. He knew Viper caught the underlying message, the fears that Skull kept inside. Viper had spent more than enough time with the stuntman to pick up on some of what he kept hidden behind a painted face.

Would you have believed me? Trusted me? Over the Sky that you worshipped so fiercely?

Skull knew the answer was 'no'. They all did.

That didn't mean they couldn't lash out at the Cloud that never tried to stop their barbs.

"Look at the big bad Skull trying to be all cool. What, did you think you could just laugh about this afterwards? 'Did you see those idiots? They walked right into it! They deserve it for how stupid they were, trusting someone else! This is the mafia, you shouldn't even trust your own fucking shadow!'" Reborn ranted, his usually stoic black eyes wild with fear and self-hatred.

"_That bastard,"_ Neah choked out, outrage stealing the rest of his voice.

Skull didn't twitch. "Are you done, Reborn?" he asked calmly.

The hitman's face twisted, no doubt preparing to unleash more sharp words to make Skull hurt as much as he did. Fon cut that off with a non-sequitur question.

"Skull, what is wrong with your arm?"

Skull froze. He had really hoped no one would notice. A futile hope, but he had hoped so fiercely, begging that no one would see through the barely there illusion.

"Skull?" Viper echoed the martial artist.

His black arm was on display, bared for all of his comrades to see. Skull swiveled his head, eyeing each of his fellow 'Arcobelano' as they stared at his arm in horror and disgust.

He could read it in their eyes, so similar to the townspeople that would kick him out the moment they saw his 'sin'. 'Monster'. 'Demon'.

Why was it that the only place that would accept him for his arm was the same place that couldn't accept the rest of the burden he bore?

He belonged nowhere.

"_I'm so sorry," _Neah pleaded. "_I am sorry, Nephew."_

Skull blinked, noticing an unfamiliar face. He was blond, standing next to Lal, who watched the proceedings with horror. It seemed that Luce was the only other 'baby' to notice the stranger.

"My arm has always been like this," he hissed out, trying desperately not to be jealous of Viper. His teacher had full control of their illusions in order to cover themself. Skull only had his oversized jumpsuit, which could only cover his legs and his minimal abilities with his secondary Flame to hide his scars. Skull had never been so grateful to Viper's lessons before.

At least his makeup and hair dye remained, miraculously.

"You'll need to be careful, Skull," Luce finally spoke up, ignoring the death glares thrown at her. Skull had to admit, she was something else to be able to shrug off Reborn aiming his gun towards her head, at point blank range, as she stepped closer.

"Speak for yourself, Luce," Skull responded.

Luce took a moment to stare Skull down. The mafia donna still had her clothes on, probably because she knew the transformation was happening. Skull noted that Lal was wrapped up in a cloak, covering her babified self while Reborn was shamelessly baring himself, Verde was swaddled in his lad coat, and Fon was comfortable in a make-shift dress, formed from his ripped up cheongsam. Much like Reborn, the stranger was bare to the world, and looking decidedly uncomfortable.

"I kept my promise," she stated. Skull froze, having been distracted with staring the stranger down. The baby's blue eyes watched his gray pair as Skull refused to turn towards Luce. "This is the last mission. You can go now, just like you wanted to."

"Go?" Viper muttered.

"You can continue on your merry chase," Luce informed the stuntman. "Isn't that what you wanted, Skull?"

"Don't make this about me, Luce," he growled, finally snapping around to face the Sky. "This is your fuck up, your mistake. Take pride in that, you egotistical bitch."

Luce blinked, her mouth dropping slightly. Other Arcobelano shuffled uncomfortably, while Reborn switched his gun from pressed against Luce's head to point it at Skull's forehead. The hitman didn't seem to be totally aware of his action, causing Skull's forming frown to deepen.

"You played us all like a damn puppet master and act like you still give two fuck about us. Are you even sorry, or did you say that because you felt like it was the right 'last words'? Don't tell me you were naïve enough to think you would be accepted after this?" Skull snarled. Viper shook their head, convinced they imagined the black aura and horns surrounding their enigmatic student.

"Did you think you would be?" Luce threw back at him with a pointed look down at his arm. Skull's painted lips pulled up in a snarl as his right arm grabbed at black skin.

"Fuck you," he growled, wobbling himself to a stand. Ignoring his sudden nudity, Skull stumbled across the surface of the mountain.

"Where are you going, Skull?" Fon asked. Skull glanced back and saw Luce's pursed lips.

"I'm doing what I should have done at the beginning," he stated. Viper's eyes widened.

"Skull, get away from the edge!" they shouted, taking a stumbling step of their own.

Angrier than he ever remembers being before, Skull shrugged off the cry and threw himself off the mountain. The wind whistled cheerfully in his ear, happy for a new playmate, even if only for a moment.

"_I will keep praying," _Neah sang. "_Somehow, love this child please. Kiss the hand you are holding."_

Skull sighed blissfully as he fell into the Arc, mentally commanding his Gate to close before the Arcobelano could see it.

Resting on the white ground of the arc, the naked baby stared up at the dark blue sky.

"This is why you can't have nice things, Luce," Skull muttered.

He made note to make contact with his teacher or Fon later. He hadn't wanted to cause them more harm, but he had needed to get out, away from Luce's poisonous attitude. He was so angry and so so tired. Tired of everything, of running, of fearing for his life, of abandoning everything at the drop of a hat.

"_Don't worry, Nephew,"_ Neah swore. "_I'll protect you. Always."_

Reassured, Skull closed his eyes, drifting off into a pleasant sleep.

And Neah watched, hatred in his heart for those who dared to harm his precious nephew further.

* * *

**Yeah, that happens. **

**See? Everyone is kinda out of character and it annoys me. Well, everyone but Neah. That guy's a real hero. If anyone has an issue with Reborn or Skull, there are reasons for their attitude. For Reborn, this is like being stabbed in the goddamn heart. Of course he's gonna lash out at his favorite lackey. Hell, even Kanda does it, Alma anyone? And Skull, well, even he has a limit to the bullshit he can put up with. Seriously, Luce, back up.**

**Anyway, I put a link of the KeiGinya's fanart on my profile. Currently, I can't get it to work, but I should have it up and running by the next chapter update.**

**Yes, Skull's secondary Mist Flames will make more appearances.**

**ALSO, the amazing azure37410 pointed a song out to me that really fits 'Skullen'. It's the English Cover to Progress by Ayumi Hamasaki. I believe it was the theme song of the video game Tales of Xillia. Imma put a link for it on my profile, if anyone is curious. (Strangely enough, this link is working fine for me.)**

**(Yeah, I tweaked the lyrics for the Fourteenth's Song in this chapter. It just flows better this way.)**

**Guest Reviews:**

**S – Haha, thanks! I can see Allen/Skull and Tyki having a relationship similar to Skull and Luce. But, instead of hints and clues being dropped in every conversations, it would be a bunch of innuendos. Cause that's how they roll. Yay, all of the explosions! It's gonna be so much fun~**

**sky - Haha, I hear you loud and clear. I might do that in a separate one-shot or in the Allen!Viper/Mammon story.**

**intrigued guest - Haha, I'm glad you approve! I really can't wait to write it!**

**KK - Haha, you're welcome! Yeah, I realized I needed to make the Adorable Trio into a Quartet, and Verde fit the bill! Well, I really have no idea. The strength and size kinda sums it up. I mean, there'll be other things like the pacifiers connection and such, but I feel like no one would have stayed around to listen to that bullshit after being turned into babies. Their abilities is kinda debatable though. Teenagers have problems walking when they grow an inch or two over night. No way in hell are the Arcobelano just gonna bounce back from becoming babies. Their retained strength with help them get up to speed, but their adult selves will be stronger. That'll probably come in later. The Fifteen Year arc has a lot going on in it, including interactions with Arcobelano and Skull's past and even Oodako. Cause, I really want Skull and Reborn's friendship to be like Allen and Kandas. Which will make Skull more comfortable, because of how familiar it is. Those two questions I'm not totally sure myself. Half of this story is my fingers doing whatever they want and the other half is me actually planning things out. Imma have Allen!Skull and Tsuna's meeting scene and it'll be awesome. But, I can see them interacting whenever Reborn calls Skull over. Just complaining to each other about how stupid this all is. Because, yeah, let's face it. Tsuna might not be the smartest, but he's the most sane. Maybe not Tsuna, but your mention of the Chinese accommodator gives me an idea...is it okay if I steal that?**

**s.f.- Haha, I'm glad you like the pairing!**

**kiba-chan - Uwa, you're making me blush! Haha, I'm glad you like the pairing! Hm, probably before cannon. I kinda see it just happening. Skull's too adorable to notice at first and Xanxus isn't someone to admit to weakness like that. Might just be my interpretation of their personalities though. I can more see someone one being 'Oh, you're such a cute couple' and both of them just being like 'Oh shit, they're right.'. Also, :3**

**I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Imma say it up here, since I only mentioned it in the Guest Reviews section previously. The pairing has been chosen. It's gonna be Xanxus and Skull/Allen. If I change it, it'll be because of my own opinions on the matter. Thank you.**

**Anyway, I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn or D. Gray-Man**

* * *

The perpetual daylight of the Ark eventually cut through Skull's pleasant dreams, dragging him back into cruel reality.

The babified stuntman groaned as he reached awareness, one tiny hand snaking out to protect his eyes from the burning white of his surroundings.

"This is getting ridiculous," the runaway exorcist muttered, squinting behind his hand.

"_We should have ignored her offer," _Neah stated, his self-loathing tickling Skull's own anger. "_We should have ignored her and left, retreated to Africa, where no one would think to look for us._"

Skull sighed, shoving his dark emotions down with practiced ease. "We should have done a lot of things," he admitted. "We shouldn't have gotten attached, we should have never opened that letter, we should have grabbed our bag. We really should have grabbed our bag. That had all my money and clothes in it."

"_The Illusionist probably has it. They seem to be sentimental like that,"_ Neah reasoned.

Skull moved his hand, allowing it to rest beside his naked form. He blinked up at the dark blue 'ceiling' of his Ark.

The stuntman felt safe, tucked away in his little paradise. No one else could enter the Ark, especially after he closed all of the Gates and moved the Core.

He doubted Apocryphos, the Noah, or the Black Order were going to find him at the bottom of the ocean, after all.

If he could, Skull would have locked himself in the Ark and never left.

Unfortunately, if he were to disappear of the face of the earth, his enemies would no doubt start attacking his precious friends to get his attention. As long as he stayed just out of their reach, just a step ahead, they'll overlook the easy targets they made.

Plus, the Ark didn't come with food. Skull bemoaned that fact every day.

"_Tim's waiting for you in the Musician's Room,_" Neah reminded him. Skull could still feel the Noah's simmering anger. His uncle didn't have the life experience of brushing off his own emotions for the sake of others. Furthering proving their differences, Neah was someone that let his emotions rule him. If he was angry, he lashed out. If he was sad, he cried.

Uncomfortable in his nudity, Skull stood cautiously. His body wobbled, every which way. He huffed, annoyed.

"I'm no use like this," he snapped, leaning his babified body against a cool wall. "Crown Clown," he called.

Immediately, eagerly, the white cape bloomed on his shoulders, smothering his smaller body. Crown Clown fluttered uncertainly for a moment before shrinking to accommodate its welder's new size.

Sufficiently covered, Skull hummed contently, reaching out his left arm to gaze lovingly at the welcoming caress of his oldest ally. With his right arm, he separated his Sword of Exorcism carefully.

Skull refused to admit that a loud squeak erupted from his mouth when his Sword appeared in his hand at full size. Thankfully, he could lift it easily.

But, the weight of the weapon tipped his precarious balance, sending his tiny body tumbling to the cobbled ground. He barely had the peace of mind to twist his arm away from his body, sparing his aching nerves from having to deal with another halfassed exorcism.

"Dammit," Skull hissed, releasing his Sword to gently prod at his aching head.

"_That would have killed a normal baby," _Neah noted.

"Since when have we been normal, Neah?" Skull mused bitterly. Satisfied that he hadn't cracked his delicate baby cranium, he fused his Sword with his shoulder once again. With shaky hands, he tried to lever himself back up, only to fall to the ground after each attempt.

"So goddamn useless," he hissed, desperately ignoring the tears that wanted to fall. Who the hell was he supposed to save when he was stuck on his back like a damn turtle?

"_Crown Clown, help your welder get to the Room_,"Neah ordered quietly.

The cloak fluttered, agitated at its natural enemy's command. But, when Skull responded with a pitiful sniffle, the Innocence wrapped itself tightly around the baby, gently lifting the former exorcist into the air.

Carefully, Crown Clown sent out its tendrils, embedding itself into the white buildings of the Ark. Skull dangled in a bundle at the center of the tentacle mass as the Innocence navigated a path to the center of the Ark.

"_Don't worry, my beloved nephew," _Neah soothed. "_Crown Clown and I have you. You're never alone as long as you have us."_

Skull chuckled lightly, reaching up to brush away his tears. He startled when he felt one of Crown Clown's tendrils caress his face, wiping away a wayward tear.

"As long as I have you two…" Skull repeated with a soft small, his eyes falling shut again.

"_As long as you have us," _Neah promised.

Skull fell asleep in the embrace of his two most precious companions as they guarded his vulnerable body.

* * *

"I am worried, Tim." Skull heard when he reached consciousness once again. "All he has done is sleep for the last three days. He doesn't even wake up long enough to eat. I'm not sure how much longer his body can survive like this."

The voice was familiar. Similar to his own, but deeper, darker.

"I don't have enough control to move the rest of his body. Just talking is hard enough."

He was still so tired. But, his hunger far outweighed his fatigue. He needed to eat.

"_Neah?"_ Skull murmured, questioningly. The sound echoed strangely, bouncing around Skull's surroundings.

"You're awake, Nephew," the voice, Neah's voice, noted with warmth. "Give me one moment, Tim."

Skull tried to peel open his eyes. Neah sounded so far away, not at all like the echoing voice in the back of his head. No, it was like he was hearing him over a golem. As if distance and static were muffling his voice.

Skull's eyes flickered open and he realized he was on the couch in the Musician's Room. Slowly, he lifted himself, glancing around the small room. His faithful golem was hovering in front of him, a sharp smile on his face.

"Neah?" Skull repeated, looking down at the small track suit he was wearing.

"_You've been asleep for three days, nephew. I asked Tim to find some clothes for you. Unfortunately, he couldn't bring any food back and a second trip out of the Ark would be too dangerous," _the Noah stated. Skull hummed, nodding his head.

"Three days," he mused. "Is it an after effect of the Curse," he wondered. "Or an after effect of being a baby?"

"_I never spent time around small children, I regret to say."_

"Neither did I," Skull admittedly. "Seems we're playing this by ear then." Skull tried to think his situation over. Now that he looked like a baby, people would underestimate him. Think that he was weaker than he actually was.

Not that people didn't think that before his strange transformation.

"_Or, you could ask that Illusionist of yours,_" Neah reminded him. "_They, no doubt, have a better idea of what is going on._"

Skull jolted up, his eyes wide with horror. "Shit," he hissed. "Viper must be so angry right now! They don't know that I'm fine! But how the hell am I going to get in contact with them, I don't know where they are! I can't leave the Ark when I'm this weak, that would be asking for trouble. Especially with that almost run in with Apocryphos. Dammit, this is so messed up!" Skull shouted, running a hand through his hair, gripping at the white roots in frustration.

"_Tim can always deliver a letter," _Neah hinted. Skull froze.

"Isn't it dangerous? Opening the Ark too often will only reveal our location," Skull argued.

"_We'll need to send him out to get food soon anyway. Might as well..ah…'kill two birds with one stone,'" _Neah told his nephew, amused.

Skull's stomach grumbled loudly at the mention of food. The stuntman blushed and gently patted his stomach. "Yeah," he admitted. "That might be a good idea."

"_Get working on that letter then,_" Neah ordered as Timcampy helpfully placed a pen and piece of paper on his small lap.

Skull sighed in exasperation but put the ink to paper and started to write.

For the second time, he was thankful for Viper's lessons.

_Dear Best Teacher,_

_I live. _

_Meet me at The Mawson's Pub in week time._

_Student._

* * *

**And the Fated Day Arc comes to a close. The next chapter will be a segue into the Fifteen Year Arc and it will be beautiful. (Does anyone recognize the Pub's name? :3)**

**Alright, now the main reason I updated again so quickly is to announce that the first chapter of the Allen!Mammon/Mammon!Allen story has been uploaded. It's not very long, but it's a start. **

**I actually forgot about Timcampy (shame on me), so I threw him in this chapter with a bullshit reason to why he wasn't around in most of the chapters. **

**Also, yeah, Viper taught Skull some reading/writing skills, but as you can see, a week of lessons does not make him the next Shakespeare. **

**Guest Reviews:**

**KK - Haha, exactly! It might not seem strange in the 'anime' world. But being turned into a baby, especially a super intelligent/strong baby, really is not a good alternative to death. It just messes with everyone's life. Haha, I'm glad you think so! Yay! I really like it when Nana has an actual role in a story so this'll help with that need! Thank you~**

**Arc - Aw, you're making me blush! I'm really glad that you're enjoying the story so much! Thanks a lot for the encouraging words too! It really made my day!**

**Guest (1)- Thanks for the question! I actually kinda put him out of my mind. But, since you reminded me, I made sure to write him into this chapter.**

**Guest (2) - Haha, I'm glad that you're enjoying it! Yeah, I've decided on Xanxus/Skull. Sorry! There'll still be a lot of Viper and Skull bonding though! I just love those two.**

**Odd Thought - Yeah, it is an interesting thought~ I was thinking of Nana being like Luce, but instead of being a judgmental bitch, she'd be understanding cause she remembers Skull and how much he suffered. Luce had a more abstract interaction with Skull. She knew what he went through, but it was like a fan watching a character suffer instead of an actual person. Luce purposely takes herself out of the situation so she feels like she walks away without the fault. An observer can't be faulted, after all.**

**anami - I'm really sorry! I've already decided on my pairing for this story. While there will be Reborn and Skull platonic bonding, they won't be a pairing.**

**On that note, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!**


	13. Chapter 13

**This took annoyingly long, just like all of these chapters do now, ugh.**

**I'm just glad I got it done before the 17****th****. WELCOME BACK TO THE WORLD OF THE LIVING, D. GRAY-MAN. WE ALL MISSED YOU SO MUCH. *cough* the wait is almost over.**

**Anyway, I don't own D. Gray Man or Katekyo Hitman Reborn.**

* * *

Skull chuckled lazily, his sharp eyes watching the crowd surrounding his table at Mawson's Pub.

The stuntman refused to wince when his hands, still unused to their smaller size, fumbled with the cards he was holding. It made those around him laugh smugly, as if he was inexperienced.

Skull didn't make any efforts to convince them otherwise.

He eyed his cards, picking out the unfavorable ones.

"Call," he stated after laying down two cards and picking up two more.

"You sure, boy?" one of the men asked, his greedy eyes focused more on the pot than Skull.

He blinked innocently. "Unless you want to raise…" he trailed off, furrowing his eyebrows.

"It's it past your bedtime, boy?" the bartender wondered politely, nervously watching the game before him.

Skull tried not to let his smile falter. With the help of his meager Mist Flames, he managed to make the rest of the world believe him to be eleven years old. It was a tiring and tedious illusion. If anyone touched him while he was using it, he had no doubt it would immediately shatter.

But, an eleven year old lounging around in a bar was a lot less suspicious compared to a two year old.

Nonetheless, Skull had been utilizing the illusion for an hour already and he was exhausted. Where the hell was Viper?

Sure, he never put down a time, but the Mist User was not a fan of wasting time, their own or someone else's.

Skull laughed. "I want to finish this last game! Everyone has been so kind, teaching me the rules!" he assured the man. The bartender's eyes flickered to the disgusted sneers of the players.

"_I feel the Illusionist,"_ Neah warned as Skull turned back to his game. Skull smirked behind his cards but didn't turn towards the door when he heard it swing open a moment later.

"No children allowed!" the bartender barked, finally back in his element.

Viper snorted disdainfully. Skull tried not to flinch when the miser's response came in the form of the bartender's torture screams.

He sighed, listening patiently as the bar cleared out, the patrons screaming about demon babies and tentacle monsters.

"Was that necessary?" Skull asked, calmly gathering up his earnings as his bothersome illusion bled off his babified body.

"Yes," Viper stated, stalking towards their student. "Where the hell have you been?"

Skull froze his actions, hearing more than one set of footsteps moving towards him.

"Who…?" he asked, spinning around to face his guests.

Viper, Fon, Verde, and the blond stranger meet his purple eyes.

"This is a surprise," he admitted. "I was only expecting Viper."

"When we heard that you miraculously survived your jump off a mountain, we had to come see you as well. We are friends, after all," Fon smiled. Skull tired to restrain his completely bizarre urge to shiver.

He failed.

"A-ah," he muttered. "Verde too? And…" he trailed off, eyeing the blond baby that he remembered vaguely from after the babification.

_Babification_, Crown Clown, Skull suddenly wished he was just the Destroyer of Time. At least this nonsense never happened as Allen. Just normal things, like reanimated machines and murderous false-clowns.

Okay, Skull could admit that there was never a time in his life that was 'normal'.

"I wasn't aware that you could use Mist Flames to bypass the…tedious…after effect for becoming an Arcobelano," Verde narrowed his green eyes, studying the stuntman intensely.

"You can't," Viper cut in. They shuffled their way to Skull's table and hopped onto a chair across from him. They paused long enough to reach across the table to smack the stuntman over the head and drop a large bag beside his chair. Skull whined, rubbing his head petulantly as they calmly sat back down. The miser continued as they nonchalantly started stacking the money that was left behind. "I have already tried."

Verde hummed.

"Sorry for intruding, kora," the blond said softly after the four co-workers were silent for moment. "My name's Colonello," he introduced himself. "I'm replacing Lal as the…Rain Arcobelano?" he glanced briefly over at Verde, but was ignored as the scientist muttered to himself. Dejected, he chuckled uncomfortably.

The stuntman blinked. "Lal's dead?" he turned to his teacher in confusion.

Viper chanced a look at their student. "No, Colonello was there that day a week ago," they hesitated. "He was concerned about his commanding officer and when he saw the flash of light, he pushed Lal out of the way, effectively taking her place. She was still cursed, but she has no official title."

"And, what, exactly, is an Arcobelano?" Skull asked, milking his teacher's generous mood for all it was worth.

"Arcobelano refers to the colors of the 'Strongest Seven's' Flames. Meaning, you are now a card toting Cloud Arcobelano, I am the Mist Arcobelano, and so on. Or, pacifier toting, if you want to get technical," Viper stated, hooking their fingers under their cloak. They fished out a glowing dark blue pacifier. "This brands us as Arcobelano and is the source of our curse. Verde has already started tests to reverse the effects."

Skull hummed. "Ne- I had wondered about what the pacifier was all about. I mean, when I couldn't remove it, I knew something it was...odd." Involuntarily, his hand reached under his shirt to pull out his glowing pacifier, sneakily brushing away the Dark Matter that had been investigating the mystical object before his companion could notice it.

"Supposedly, while members of the Arcobelano curse, we have eternal youth. As toddlers," the Mist User added, absentmindly splitting the stacks, the larger portion staying in front of them. "For my troubles," they stated when Skull gave them a look. Skull rolled his eyes but collected the smaller portion his teacher nodded towards. He _was_ sorry that he caused Viper emotional distress over his emergency exit, after all. He could just trick another batch of drunkards out of their cash if it meant the Mist User felt better.

"_It appears that Ponce de Leon was further off than was first expected,"_ Neah cut in, amused.

"What?" Skull muttered.

"We will be stuck as babies, possibly forever," Viper clarified. "With the purpose of 'protecting all life'." They paused to glance around at their companions. Skull follows their action, taking in the scene. The Protectors of Life, the Strongest Seven, consisted of a selfish miser, a scientist of questionable morals, a scary martial artist, an arrogant hitman, an egotistical Donna, two soldiers, and a runaway Exorcist turned stuntman. And Skull _knew_ that he was the only one not _entrenched_ in the Underworld.

"I'm not sure about our peers," Viper informed their student. "But I am no one's first choice for a selfless hero of humanity."

"_It is rare that someone physically strong, like yourself my beloved nephew, cares enough to voluntarily dedicate their eternal life to protecting people they have never met," _Neah added. Skull was tempted to argue. Crowley and Master Cross and Klaud Nine dedicated their remaining lives to saving people, not to mention the hundreds of other Exorcists, Finders, and Scientists that came before them.

"_How many of your former exorcist friends are just waiting for death, nephew? How many are counting down to their final rest?" _Neah questioned softly. Skull's breathing hitched. "_The rest I know you once waited for. The peace of a job well done, of having saved all the lives you could. Because of that woman, you'll never rest. You'll always be walking forward, the weight of the world on your shoulders." _Neah got sadder and sadder as he continued.

"You're working on a solution, right?" Skull asked Verde. The scientist started, but sighed once he registered the question, pushing his glasses up.

"Yes, however I cannot give an approximate time for how long it will take me create a permanent solution. What I want to know is how you formed an illusion to hide your new form?" Verde investigated.

"Yes, I am curious as well," Fon joined, his adorably pudgy face not matching his serious expression. Skull really wanted to pinch his cheeks. But, he figured that would be weird. Just a little bit.

Viper threw in their own curiosity by giving Skull a short nod when he turned in their direction for advice.

He sighed. "Maybe because it's not my main Flame? I don't know if any of you have secondary Flames, but I've been having more trouble than usual using my Cloud Flames. It feels as though most of it is concentrated elsewhere, away from my control. That must be my pacifier?" He prodded at the orb and a wisp of Cloud Flames slid out, wrapping around his finger playfully for a moment before dissipating. He blinked in surprise.

"It has been annoyingly difficult to manipulate my Mist Flames," Viper admitted with a frown. "Perhaps, as time passes, we will adjust to the difference. However, this drain will hinder us in the meantime. I suggest lying low until you are fully capable of protecting yourself, Skull."

"Why are you singling me out?" Skull whined, his pout only accented by his younger face.

"Fon is a world renowned martial artist. Colonello trained under Lal and Reborn is more than capable with a gun. Luce has her entire Famiglia to guard her. And Verde is building a ray gun of some sort as we speak. You are the only one of us without protection or a reputation in the Underworld. Family's _will_ test us once they hear about the Arcobelano. _You _are at the disadvantage, Skull," Viper lectured. The stuntman checked to the side, startled to see that, yes, Verde was making some kind of gun out of scraps of metal and a toothpick. He wasn't questioning it.

"I've told you time and again Viper!" Skull tried to reason. "I'm a lot stronger than I look!"

"I would hope so, kora," Colonello interrupted, grinning. "You look like a little kid!"

The room was silent. Skull swore he could hear Neah's face palm.

"Was that an Arcobelano joke…or a short joke?" Skull muttered to his teacher.

"What's the difference?" they mused.

"My response," he stated. Colonello chuckled nervously, looking around uncertainly.

"I'll just be quiet," he decided, pulling a sniper rifle that Skull didn't notice before off his back and onto his lap. Figured he would have to same weird ability to hide weapons as Lal.

"That might be for the best," Fon noted with a smile. "We know that you are strong, Skull. But, we worry about you. It would ease our minds if you would not draw attention to yourself. No more jumping off of cliffs, if you could?"

"Wasn't planning on it," he promised. Buildings…well that was another matter entirely. In fact, Skull had an idea for Viper's lying low plan, and it didn't involve cliffs, thank you very much. "So, Luce's with her Family? What about Reborn?"

"Yes, the Giglio NeroFamily. She left quickly after her acquaintance told us about the Arcobelano. Reborn disappeared not long afterwards. We haven't heard from him since. Perhaps he also decided that lying low was his best course of action," Fon told him.

"_Acquaintance?" _Neah wondered. Skull frowned, picking up on the newest mystery.

"Later," he murmured. When Fon cocked his eyebrow in confusion, the stuntman continued. "Any plans on where you'll be going later? To 'lay low'?"

"Back to Italy," Viper stated. "I'll get work with a Famiglia instead of free lancing it again. Safer with a mass of lackeys willing to protect their investment."

Nodding, Skull turned to his other friends.

"I will be returning to my labs. Baby or not, no one would dare pull their funds. They might find a…present on their doorstep one day," Verde muttered, looking over his newly crafted gun with a critical eye.

"Other than returning to China, I have no plans," Fon smiled. "I will let time choose my course."

Skull stared quietly at the final member of the group, who was looking around the pub in silence. When Colonello swerved his gaze, his blue eyes locking onto Skull's waiting pair, he flinched in surprise.

"Ah, I was planning on seeing what Lal was doing! Maybe go back to COMSUBIN, that sorta thing, kora," he grinned, flushed.

"And you, Skull?" Viper asked. Skull hummed, pondering if he should reveal his idea. These were his comrades, one of them was even his teacher.

But, could he trust them?

"_Keep moving forward, nephew,"_ Neah advised.

"Keep an eye out for a musician named Brenin Lloyd. He'll…surprise you," Skull chuckled.

Even as a toddler, Skull can survive, with or without allies to help him along. He's gotten this far, living far longer than he expected as a Parasitic Exorcist.

He would keep walking, no matter what. Nothing could stop him.

Nothing, except the familiar click-clunk of his curse materializing over his scarred eye as he discussed future plans with his mafia-affiliated comrades.

This…was not what he needed right now.

* * *

**When you realize that words you use on a regular basis are apparently not real words according to Mircosoft Word. What is life. **

**Arc-wise, this chapter is between the last arc and the Fifteen Year arc. So, the Fifteen Year arc really starts in a little while, when Skull has a run in with his past. That's all I'm revealing.**

**So, Neah's really just here for plot development and snarky comments. And I just love him for it. **

**I only really know Texas Hold'em and Allen plays Straight Poker, so I'm sorry if I messed up. I looked up the rules online, but that's kinda different from actually knowing the game…**

**For those that noticed, Brenin Lloyd was the name Neah suggested in Chapter 9. It basically means 'Gray haired King'. Because I'm someone that will hunt down that stuff.**

**Ponce de Leon was a famous guy that searched for the Fountain of Youth in Florida. Obviously, he failed cause he needed to be a badass to qualify for conditional immortality. **

**Now, my understanding of the pacifiers is that they absorb the Flames of their holder and that holder protects the pacifier and all of life. To me, this means that there would be a drain of Flames that the Arcobelano would have to adjust to. This also explains why Viper/Mammon LOST to Mukuro. Not that Mukuro isn't a complete badass, but if he was a stronger Mist...well the Arcobelano wouldn't be very feared. However, the pacifiers only 'use' the Flame they correspond with. So, while Skull has a drain on his Cloud Flames, his Mist Flames are still in the clear, even if he can only use them minimalistically. Does that make sense?**

**Guest Reviewers:**

**KK – Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed that chapter! Everyone is just kinda awkward and passive aggressive and glad Skull's alright here. As much as I wanted Viper to rage at him, they're really not the type, especially around others. Maybe in private, but these are emotionally stunted adults, nothing can be easy with them. Nothing at all, ugh.**

**Oops – Haha, thanks! I'm glad you like the story so far!**

**Patricia – I'm a fan of Gen too, but I have fun with pairings. Not sure if you continued reading, but Imma be doing Xanxus/Skull. I'm curious where the idea for Verde/Skull comes from though? It sounds interesting, haha!**

**Marie – Haha, thanks! **

**Guest – Haha, thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far! Here's that chapter you wanted!**

**Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter is gonna be a quick intermission before the start of the Fifteen Year arc!**


	14. INTERMISSION

**You guys don't even wanna know how bad my writer's block has been. I'm not even kidding, I started to sing 'Blank Space' to myself while staring at my computer.**

**It was horrible. Kinda funny. But horrible. **

**Anyway, I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn or D. Gray Man.**

**(Can I say a quick, excessively quiet, holy shit? Guys, I never expected to even get _50_ follows/favorites. And here I am with _nearly 500 follows/favorites and 250+ reviews._ Thank you all so much, holy shit.)**

* * *

Using the skin of a Cardinal, Apocryphos was able to bypass many of humanity's annoyances, such as polite conversation and questions.

Apocryphos was a busy Innocence, with places to be and people to assimilate. There wasn't _time _for discussions on their Lord and Savior or to pray for a child in the hospital.

So, when it was coerced into speaking to a dying man about how the Lord will welcome him with open arms, the Sentient Innocence was _not happy. _It knew it was close to its prey, so frustratingly close. It grated its non-existent nerves that Allen Walker had escaped its grasp for nearly two years.

But, Apocryphos could _taste_ their game of Cat and Mouse coming to an end. Allen had stayed in one place for far too long, the foolish boy.

So, when, five minutes into the farce of a holy blessing, it felt a sudden flare from Crown Clown, it froze, its halfhearted words tempering off as it stared of in the distance.

Allen had finally messed up. Allen had finally given himself away. Allen had finally shown himself to the waiting Innocence. _They would finally become one, after so long_.

Without a word to those it had been 'blessing', Apocryphos stalked out of the room, a maniac grin splitting its face.

Yes, Allen Walker would become one with Apocryphos, no matter how long it took.

The Innocence had waited centuries, what was a few more years, months, weeks, days, hours, _minutes, seconds._

Soon, soon, soon, soon, soon.

It couldn't wait.

* * *

"What to do, what to do," the Millennium Earl muttered, rhythmically twitching his hands. "What. To. Do."

"Is something wrong, Earl?" Tyki muttered, briefly lifting his eyes from his novel, his eyebrow raising at the Earl's fidgeting. His other eyebrow rose when he saw the First Noah's knitting had created a comfortable looking noose when his thoughts started to wander. The frantic rocking of his chair was even beginning to leave groves in the hard wood floor.

"Tyki-pon~," the Earl sang, twisting his snarled face towards the other Noah. "Where is Allen Walker?"

The Noah sighed, calmly flicking his cigarette into the blazing fire next to his comfortable throne chair.

"The Boy knows to avoid your akuma, Earl," he answered. "If he was stupid, I doubt the Fourteenth would be so amored with him."

The Millennium Earl huffed, annoyed. "Allen Walker is becoming troublesome." The perpetual grin seemed to widen, as the Earl eyed his companion contemplatively. "Tyki-pon~"

"No, Earl," Tyki shut down. "You already have Lulubell and Wisely searching for the Boy. You need the rest of us around in case the Exorcists decide to get uppity again."

"Allen Walker needs to be found for the play to continue," the Earl revealed, abruptly stopping his rocking by planting his feet on the floor. "It is essential that we welcome the Fourteenth into our family before the Exorcists coerce him back to their side. Or worse," The Earl's narrowed eyes gleamed in the firelight.

Tyki sighed. He would never understand the Earl's obsession with the Fourteenth, the traitorous, fratricidal Noah. Saving the vessel from torture and execution was one thing. Sending important members of their family after a Noah that didn't want to be found was a completely different matter.

"Earl," Tyki tried to reason.

Before he could continue, the doors to the warm study slammed open. An akuma maid, her hair in disarray and her dress crumpled, stumbled in.

"Oh?" the Noah of Pleasure blinked, confused.

"My Lords!" the akuma gasped, her eyes flickering nervously between the two supernatural men. "A Lord Noah has been detected! On Mt. Langkofel in North Italy," the akuma paused, staring nervously off to the side. "We…we think it's the Fourteenth Master, my Lords." She focused on the fire, desperate not to offend either of the Noah with her news.

Tyki frowned, his brow creasing in bemusement. The Boy wasn't stupid, Tyki knew that first hand. The former Exorcist was a survivor and a conman. He would never be found unless he wanted to be. The Noah of Pleasure had been resigned to never seeing him again. And yet, he seems to have fallen onto their laps.

The akuma startled when she fled a large hand pat her gently on the head. Her lips quivered when she glanced up to see the Millennium Earl smiling down at her eerily.

"You have done well, my dear akuma" the Earl assured her, humming happily. "Did you hear that, Tyki-pon? Our brother has been sighted. We must gather the family at once!"

While the Earl skipped merrily out of the room, Tyki stared into the burning fire.

He had a bad feeling about this.

The akuma glanced between the remaining Noah and the exit before shuttering. She never wanted to be that close to her Lord and Master ever again.

* * *

"Hey, Lenalee, you're back! How was your mission?" Lavi called, speeding up slightly to meet up with his fellow Exorcist. The Dark Boots wielder startled, dragged out of her deep thoughts by her redhead friend.

"It was calm," Lenalee assured the Bookman. "Few akuma and even fewer Noah. Crowley is bringing the Innocence to Hevlaska now." She gave a small smile, her blood red Innocence clanking together with each step. "I heard you were send on a _top secret _mission yourself, Lavi?" Lenalee shot a mischievous look at her friend.

Lavi exaggerated a gasp of shock, stealing glances around the empty hall for eavesdroppers. "What kind of Bookman would I be if I told you about my _top secret_ mission? I am offended that you would even ask, Ms. Lee!"

Lenalee merely watched her friend's act as he went on about honor to his people and how she should be ashamed of herself. "Are you going to tell me or not?" she cut in, resting her hands on her hips as Lavi snapped his mouth shut.

"Pff," the Junior Bookman scoffed. "Of course I am!" he exclaimed, hooking his arm with his fellow Exorcist's, dragging her closer. Lenalee giggled, but listened when the Iron Hammer wielder spoke again. "It's about Allen."

Lenalee didn't react. Everything that was considered _top secret_ was either about Allen or the Fourteenth. As long as Exorcists and Finders were being send out to retrieve the runaway, Lenalee could sleep easy knowing that he wasn't under the Earl's thumbs, locked away by the Order, or dead.

"He slipped up, Lena," Lavi admitted with a frown, his brow furrowing in concern. "He was spotted in Italy, briefly. A Finder familiar with Allen noticed a crystal like structure appearing near a mountain. They managed to get a picture of it before it collapsed. It's been confirmed to have been a Gate."

Lavi glanced down at the girl in his arms. "Lena, we have to be prepared for the day they bring Moyashi in. He can't run forever."

Lenalee didn't respond, thinking back on her white haired friend who would tell her horror stories of his time training under General Cross and what little she learned about his adopted father.

She knew well that Allen was a survivor, someone that would never give up on life so long as he had a purpose to strive for.

The Earl and the akuma was Allen's purpose for living, and he won't let anyone get in the way of that. Not the Noah and not the Order.

She thanked Lavi and departed from their conversation, insisting that she was far too tired to continue.

That night, she dreamed of a happier time, with a Bookman, a swordsman, and a cursed clown by her side.

* * *

Nana knew a lot of things. Things she really shouldn't have known.

She knew that the man who she had just met, who asked her out after spilling her much needed coffee all over her favorite dress, was the man she was going to marry.

It would not be an entirely happy marriage.

Eventually, Iemitsu would return to Italy, leaving her behind to pine after him for years at a time.

She also knew that if she did not marry him, countless innocents would be dragged into the dark world that clung to his blood as a war over the strongest Family broke out.

She knew she wouldn't be happy, but when her husband walked away, she would be left with her greatest joy.

She knew her Tsu-kun would grow up big and strong. Strong enough to stop so many from dying, whether at the hands of cruel Mafioso or a strange white haired angel of death. She knew he would be strong enough to save Allen Walker from the rest of the world.

She knew far more than she should.

Nana liked to think it was because of her feminine intuition.

Mei-Ling knew it was because of a past she could never forget and a debt that would never be repaid to a white haired clown who never asked to be a martyr.

So, she hid everything that might make Iemitsu suspicious of his beau and played the game of love. She locked away her accent, her name, her past, to save a future that she wasn't sure would ever happen.

In a year, the former Accommodator would be alone in the Namimori hospital with the heir of the strongest mafia family sleeping in her arms.

But, for now, she needed to seduce her future husband, into order to save an old friend and thousands of bystanders.

Just a normal day for an Exorcist, she assumed.

* * *

Timoteo rested his head in his hands, staring bleakly down at the report on his desk.

He was the only child of the Eighth Vongola Boss and he had been accepted as the heir from the moment he was born.

He didn't understand why the world was deciding to attack his small family. He loved all of his children, and only wanted what was best for them. He knew one of them would inherit the Vongola, but he made sure they all knew that they could refuse the right.

And yet. And yet, he was staring at his eldest son's corpse, waiting for someone to tell him who had murdered his baby.

Timoteo had been born and raised in the mafia, and somehow he forgot that the Underworld liked to snatch away peace and happiness from its inhabitants.

His _sons_, targets of whatever sinister schemes were happening behind his back.

Was Timoteo a bad father? His mother had kept him safe and alive, raising him to take over after she became too old to spend hours at a desk.

Already, one of his sons was dead. Dead and gone.

Timoteo would never see Enrico again. His eldest would never again take Xanxus aside to teach his youngest brother how to shoot. Enrico wouldn't be there to laugh, a delighted laugh that never failed to light up Timoteo's day.

_His son was dead._

"Nono," Iemitsu, Coyote, and Tyr lurked in the darkness, allowing the Boss a moment to collect his thoughts. The respectful murmur resonated through the otherwise quiet room.

"My friends," Timoteo started, his voice cracking as his eyes stayed glued to the picture of his _son_, the child he raised and taught and _loved. _"Destroy them all."

"Yes, Nono," the three men chanted, marching out of the room, their feet like battle drums as they fled to make plans.

Left to his thoughts in the darkness of his office, Timoteo let the tears all from his face, splattering against the tortured image of his _son._

"Oh, what have I done to you," the Ninth Boss sobbed, bowing over the picture, searing his son's bloodied face into his mind.

* * *

"Wonder what our boy's been up to," Ginevra mused, deftly running her fingers through Gintaras's long mane, smiling softly as the lion leaned into her touch. Ambra rumbled from her other side, trying to drag the tamer's attention from her brother. "That Strongest Seven shit sounded important, but I haven't heard anything yet. The brat hasn't even sent a letter."

"He's probably busy," her father soothed, resting his elbows against the lion cage bars, watching his daughter pet the beasts into submission. "He's a superstar now, throwing his lot in with the big leagues."

Ginevra scoffed, grabbing Rezar's face gently, staring intently into his eyes. Curious gold eyes met her brown pair, a long pink tongue sneaking out to lap at her chin submissively. "We spent weeks trying to convince that brat to show his skills to the world. It wasn't until we bought him makeup and hair dye that he finally agreed. More trouble than he's worth, I swear. Doubt these six newbie's will be able to get him out of his damn shell."

"He clings to his helmet like a babe to his blanket," the Ringmaster agreed. He frowned over at the quartet, his daughter lavishing each cat with affection, her eyes never straying. "Where's Nuada?" he finally asked. The youngest lion had been the circus's pride and joy, named and raised by Skull. With the stuntman off on his own adventures, the now three year old lion had taken to trailing after Ginevra like a duckling.

"He's taken after our daredevil. He keeps escaping our cages. I've got Tessa hunting him down now, but, last time, he was shacking it up in Skull's old tent. Swear, the little monster loves that brat more than his own parents," the tamer stated, patting Rezarand Ambra on the head. "It's nearly been a year," she grumbled when the two arched into her touch.

"And we've been getting by perfectly fine without him," the Ringmaster tried to reassure her. Ginevra ignored him, frowning off into the distance, as if she could pierce Skull with her disappointed look.

"That damn brat lives with us for a whole year and the first chance he gets, he leaves. Not a single word since. What the hell does he think we're running, a talent agency?" she snarled, her lions grumbling softly at her anger. "Screw him. See if I care."

The Ringmaster sighed, eyeing his daughter as she snuggled her dangerous beasts, muttering about ungrateful wastes of time and talent. Skull was a boon to their circus, raising them to fame quickly. Everyone was taken aback by his sudden break, the boy had been flying high, defying death again and again.

But, the Ringmaster knew the caged look in the boy's eyes, like one of Ginevra's lions. He was a predator, a fighter, that couldn't be stopped. His daughter might fancy herself a tamer, but this boy would never had submitted to her. No matter how hard she tried.

He was glad the boy left before one of them exploded in the other's face.

You can tame beasts, this the Ringmaster knew.

However.

You can't tame _monsters._

* * *

"I'm sure we'll find him soon!" Johnny cheered, assuring his companion, who merely glared around the crowded streets of England. Kanda sneered when a police officer gave his covered sword a suspicious look.

It seemed the Black Order actually had its uses. Before, the swordsman could have strutted down the street with his sword out without a second look. The power of the Rose Cross was strong among government officials.

"Che, what's our next stop?" he asked, his eyes flickering every which way. With his new, personal, mission, the Exorcist didn't have to just watch for akuma, no, he had to check for his former comrades. The Moyashi made a mess out of everything.

"Mawson's Pub," the former scientist chirped.

Kanda glowered at the shorter man. Just how many bars did that bastard Cross go to? At this rate, the General should be dead from liver poisoning, if not from some form of sexually transmitted disease.

It's a small favor that the Moyashi didn't absorb some of his Master's perverse habits.

Speaking of which…

"Hey, sweetheart!" a man stumbled up to the duo, Kanda crinkled his nose as the sickly scent of alcohol invaded his senses. "Why don't you smile for us? Com'on baby, just a small smile!"

Without turning to the drunk, the swordsman lashed out, knocking the man flat on his back. He smirked at the satisfying crunch of the man's nose collapsing under his knuckles. The relief was brief, as the wary officer let out a small cry of outrage, bee lining for Kanda with an indignant glare.

"Ka-Kanda!" Johnny sputtered, looking between his partner in crime and the downed molester.

He huffed, latching onto the scientists arm, dragging him along. "Should be fucking grateful I didn't stab him," Kanda muttered. "Let's find Moyashi and get the fuck out of this disgusting city."

The Police officer was left staring after the duo while the drunk screamed into his ear about how he was dying, oh god, was that blood, he never wrote his will, shit shit shit.

Kanda scoffed. He was surrounded by idiots.

* * *

**How do you Apocryphos/Tyki/Earl/Lenalee/Lavi/Nono. I don't know. **

**(Someone help. My heart's been hurt by this chapter)**

**And so, life goes on and the wheels of fate keep turning. **

**Apocryphos is a Sentinent Innocence, and as such, I choose to not give it a gender. To me, Innocence gender is based off of their wielder, or their wielder's memories. Apocryphos doesn't have that, and so it has no gender. _It is not gender neutral. It just doesn't have a gender._**

**Okay, so, I choose that the Arcobelano did the Fated Day on Mt. Langkofel for a couple of reasons. One, is that it's a nice tall mountain with a flattish top and a sharp drop. Two, it's really tall. Three, it's described as a 'serious climb'. The Arcobelano are the **_**definition**_** of 'serious climbers'. Also, the only other mountain I was considered was Mt. Cristello, which has a gondala lift and big for skiing. So, its really not private enough for the Fated Day. (I'm not sure if the Fated Day mountain already has an official name, now that I think about it…) (Maybe I'm doing too much research for this kinda stuff…)**

**Lavi isn't in the hands of the Noah, if only because I don't wanna write Choji and he's the only other Exorcist I can see acting like this around Lenalee. Also, screw you Choji. You'll get yours, I promise you that. **

**I can admit, I'm not the biggest fan of Lenalee. But, I kinda like the way I portrayed her. She'll eventually come in again, of course, but I'm happy to have gotten the chance to work on her characterization a bit. **

**Fun fact, Mei-Ling means Beautiful and Delicate/Plum while Nana means Royalty/King/Queen in Ghana and India, Seven in Japanese, favor/Grace in Spanish, darling in Norse, and a spring month in Hawaiian. (The reason Mei-Ling decided on the name Nana will be explained when she meets up with Skullen.)**

**For those who don't know Mei-Ling, never fear! Mei-Ling is an anime only character, an accommodator to an unnamed Crystal Ball Innocence. Her Innocence was destroyed, but, in this story, she keeps some of its power. However, she only sees major events that effect the entire world. Like, if Tsuna wasn't born because Nana and Iemitsu never got together, for example. Or the Arcobelano. (She's in episodes 47-50 of season 1.)**

**I'll be trying to wrestle my page into submission later tonight, if anyone was curious about those links. **

**Guest Reviews:**

**Guest (1) – Soon, soon, I promise!**

**Guest (2) – Ah geez. I hope you weren't disappointed with this chapter then…**

**scarlet-onna – Haha, sorry about the confusion~ **

**Guest (3) – Well, I can promise that there is an akuma…that's really it for now. Still planning out where I was going with that…whoops. Colonello is fun to work this though!**

**S – Haha, it's good to hear from you again~ Yeah, Skull's wearing his makeup, probably shoulda mentioned that…the Poker King strikes again! Their interactions are really fun to write, so you can look forward to more of those in the future! Sadly, Colonello isn't gonna be part of the group for long…Yeah, he definitely will! He needs to make a name for himself, after all. Haha, I'm not gonna let Skull get off that easily, he has three protective criminals on his back, they won't let him walk away without an explanation. Muahaha. **

**yuki – Yes. Yes they will. And it will be beautiful. To me, Italy would be either avoided by the akuma or protected ruthlessly by the Black Order, if only because it is the home of the Vatican/Central. Can't have an akuma killing the Pope and all. Other than that, akuma are anywhere the Earl wants them to be.**

**Arc – I'm planning a little bit of everything~ Personally, I think it came up rather nicely. I am sorry it took so long to come out though…**

**guest-mamushi – I'm not really a fan of cannon Nana, too. But, she's a character that's fun to work with. There's not about her, so I can manipulate it to my liking. There's a lot of potential to her that her cannon verse just kills. Hopefully, I can have some fun with Nana! Hm, I'm not really sure. The essence is useful for 'saving all of life' and that jazz. Sacrifice and all that. Unfortunately, there's still a lot I want to get in to before we meet up with Tsuna. I promise, we'll meet him briefly during the 15 year arc, before cannon. Haha, that's really interesting! Thanks for reviewing, Guest-'Viper'~**

**KK – INSPIRATION HAS STRUCK. I'm glad you enjoyed it! You know something's wrong when Allen is considered the most emotionally capable. How will he ever deal with these emotionally stunted, babified criminals? **

**Just A Fan - …damn, now I wanna say that. I'll find my moment. Don't think I won't. Anyway…haha, I can't wait either! It's gonna be so much fun to work their old dynamics into Skullen being an Arcobelano/Noah/Mafioso. I think Imma have Skull's tattoo's just be makeup. Really sturdy makeup, but makeup. So, when the curse acts up, his makeup kinda melts off? If that makes sense…**

**Anonymouschica - Haha, thank you very much! I'm glad you're enjoying it! If you have any questions about D. Gray-man, I'd be more than happy to help you understand what's going on! Yeah, the 'run in with the past' has to do with the cliffhanger. It'll be awesome~ (that might be the chapter you have the hardest time keeping up with though. Well, this chapter might get confusing too...)**

**Anyway, I hope everyone liked this…long…intermission/interlude/whatever you wanna call it. The Fifteen Year Arc officially starts next chapter, and it starts with a bang! **

**(I should have the next chapter out before the end of the month...about two weeks.)**


	15. Chapter 14

**Okay, so I forgot to mention last chapter that the Mei-Ling/Nana plot point came from the ever wonderful kK/kylC. Imma just shove all of your praise over to them, cause they deserve every single one.**

**Since the drama llama train has finally come to an end, (it happens every single summer, oh my gosh), I have time to actually work on my stories (as you probably noticed with all of my updates to my other stories, oops). Who else is pumped about that?!**

**(I have a premonition that a good number of people are going to be upset with this chapter...)**

**Anyway, I don't own D. Gray Man or Katekyo Hitman Reborn**

* * *

Skull hunched over, his gloved hands slamming over the clogs, hopefully before any of his comrades could notice.

"Skull?" Viper asked, bemused at their student. "Skull, are you hurt?"

Skull's cursed eye rolled, searching desperately for the enemy it could sense. He clenched his jaw, tensing in preparation for an attack.

"Skull?" Fon hopped off his chair, taking a step closer to the shaking toddler.

"Hey, is he okay?" Colonello questioned his fellow Arcobelano, eyeing the stuntman as he flinched at Fon's approach.

"Where, where, where, where," Skull muttered. He could _sense_ them – one, no two, two akuma – he could _hear their sobs_. But where were they? Nowhere in the pub, on the street, or in the air. Maybe his curse reached further than he thought? They could only just be entering the town, for all he knew.

"Shut up," Verde snapped, jumping up to join Fon as the Storm Arcobelano fluttered around their Cloud companion. Colonello shrunk back, cradling his rifle close to his chest. "Skull, show me what's wrong. Now."

Allen blocked it all out. His comrades knew _better_ than to talk when he was trying to find akuma. This was a matter of _life and death_, why was everyone _talking_ to him, _distracting _him.

"Not now, not now Kanda, not now," Allen hissed, clawing at the skin around his cursed eye in frustration. Where? Where, where, where, where.

Verde snarled wordlessly, turning to Viper in confusion. The frown on the Mist's face made him shake his head in disgust. "Skull, there's no one named Kanda here. Skull, listen to my voice."

"_Breathe, nephew,"_ Neah advised desperately. "_Listen to your comrades_."

Where were they, he could _hear their screams, begging to be released from their eternal torture. _He had almost forgotten how _loud _they were_, screeching for salvation _in his ever-listening ears_. _He needed to free them, _tear them from the chains that bound them so unnaturally. _It was the only reason he was _alive._

"Skull, tell me what's wrong. Are you injured, in pain?" Verde tried again, lifting his hand warningly to the other three Arcobelano, demanding silence.

His eye turned downwards, his cursed stare drilling through the flooring and into the hard earth. Skull's remaining eye widened in horror.

"Get away!" he warned.

The floor exploded, the five babies thrown through the air like rag dolls. Skull quickly lost track of his companions as he flew through the air, flipping four times before slamming into the wall on the complete opposite end of the pub.

The runaway exorcist took a moment, his cursed stare fixated on the revealed akuma while his single human eye focused on the ceiling above him. He could _feel_ Crown Clown wanting to retaliate, to destroy the beings it was created to kill.

"…_MOVE!" _Neah roared suddenly, his voice sounding like it was echoing from down a deep well.

Skull jolted, startled out of his haze. A second later, the Cloud Arcobelano screamed, louder than his Innocence and the akuma, as debris impaled his arm, pinning him to the wall.

His dazed movement only served to shift him out of the indent of his tiny body that would forever mare the wall, forcing his impaled arm to take all his weight as the stuntman-turned-baby dangled helplessly.

Crown Clown cried out with righteous rage, furious at the vulnerability of its wielder.

"_Nephew, nephew, please, let me help you!" _Neah shouted, thrashing uselessly alongside the Innocence.

Skull gritted his teeth, refusing to allow either of his eternal comrades to give him strength. If he relied on them, his fight would gather unwanted attention. The last thing he needed was Apocryphos, the Noah, or Crow showing up, not when his tentative friends were, were…

Skull checked around the room.

There were two level one's, their large bulbous bodies cramped in the pub's limited space; thankfully preventing them from unloading their blood bullets on their newest batch of victims. For now, at least.

His fellow Arcobelano were scattered around the entire room. Colonello was pinned under a table, his rifle only feet from his head. Fon was sprawled out in front of the entrance, a small trickle of blood flowing down the side of his head. He could just barely make out Verde's foot from the edge of the bar, a small imprint of his body in the mirror behind the smashed alcohol bottles.

And Viper, his not-so-patient-but-still-better-than-Cross mentor, was facing down the two akuma, alone, with a scowl.

"I don't know what you are," the Mist Arcobelano stated coldly, an angry frown on their mostly covered face. They were floating, a very advanced Mist technique that Skull doubted he would ever be able to do solely with his secondary Flames. "But, you _do not_ attack my _student_." They sliced their hands through the air meaningfully, indigo lights surrounding the akuma as the machines screamed in pain.

"_Nephew,"_ Neah begged.

Skull's breathing was heavy as he reached up, ripping the large shard from his right arm with a grunt. It was nowhere close to being as painful as having his heart _eaten_, but pain was pain. And it was excruciating.

Unfortunately, the sound of his body finally falling to the ground grabbed the attention of his mentor and the akuma.

"Skull!" Viper exclaimed, zipping over to Skull's fallen form as the akuma struggled against the illusion bonds. "Skull, we need to get out of here. I'm not sure what they are, but they look like something the Estraneo have been working on. The Vindice's going to hear about _this_." Viper stated, landing cautiously to get a closer look at their student.

"Viper…" Skull muttered, making sure his cursed eye was facing the ground, hidden from the Mist's keen stare.

"You're injured," Viper noted. "You can still run, though. It's just your arm."

"Viper…" Skull repeated, pushing his babified form onto his hands and knees.

"Are you injured somewhere else? You were holding your eye earlier – is it bothering you?" Viper stepped forward, shuffling around their apprentice in worry.

Skull felt bad when he surged upward, his Innocence imbued hand thrusting against the back of the Mist's neck. He grunted when his teacher fell, unconscious, onto the injured Cloud.

"Sorry, Viper," Skull apologized, his teacher's body sliding to ground as he stood on unsteady feet. He stepped over his mentor's prone form, drawing the released akuma's attention.

Skull's luck was shining through. The akuma still hadn't unleashed their poisonous bullets.

"_Nephew, what are you doing?"_ Neah asked, bewildered.

"I can't leave Fon and Verde and Colonello, Neah," Skull stated. He sighed, gripping his left wrist resolutely. "I have to finish this quickly."

"_Apocryphos is already closing in, nephew, don't give it extra fuel,"_ Neah snapped. "_Let me help you. The Noah will already know you're here, if the akuma have reported to the Earl."_

Skull bit his lip, releasing his wrist slowly. The akuma hovered, watching the stuntman with identical eerie smiles.

"**Lord Noah**," they cooed, a mechanical purr underlying their duel voices. "**Lord Fourteenth.**"

His hands fell in defeat, his agreement already bubbling in his throat when his fingers brushed against cold metal.

The throwing knife. The only mortal weapon he kept on him, knowing that with his allies being infamous in the mafia, he needed a defense against humans as well.

"I'm going to need one more chance, Neah," Skull argued, chancing a look down at Viper. "I have an idea."

With a showman's grace, the runaway flipped out his knife, twirling it around his finger with a grin.

"**Lord Fourteenth, come home**_**,**_" the akuma buzzed in unison. "**Your family is waiting for you, Lord Fourteenth. They love you.**"

His right hand lit up, a purple flame wrapping lovingly around the gleaming blade.

Skull grinned, lifting his head to reveal his grotesque cursed eye that glowed with hunger for the akuma's death.

"Let's," he crooned, his painted lips stretching inhumanly across his face. "Try this again."

In an instant, he was a whirlwind, flying from Viper's side to stand before the akuma. His hand arched up high, slicing through the large, bulbous machine easily.

He watched intently as the chains binding the trapped soul shattered, freeing the spirit as the akuma's body dissolving into poisonous smoke that cloaked the pub.

"That worked better than expected," Skull muttered, eyeing the flaming blade. Mentally increasing the power on the small knife, it enlarged, growing until it was as large as his Sword of Exorcism. Skull stumbled but all of his practice in the Ark paid off and he balanced himself quickly. As he righted himself, the sword flickered once, twice, before it shattered into purple smoke, leaving just the small blade behind. The stuntman stared, flabbergasted.

"_The poison,"_ Neah reminded him. Skull spun to face his last opponent, restraining the urge to check on his comrades. The akuma could just shoot them if he looked away. He couldn't risk it.

"**Why do you fight, Lord Fourteenth?**" the last akuma droned. "**You can't escape your fate.**"

"It's always about Fate with this war, isn't it," Skull noted. "Neah, Mana, Crown Clown; you just chalk everything up as Fate." His eyes narrowed. "It pisses me off."

"**Lord Fourte-!**" the akuma whirred. Skull had _more_ than enough of this farce. He flicked the knife, watching dispassionately as it sailed through the air, sinking into the akuma's pentagram.

He kept still as the resulting explosion blew some of the poison out into the streets through the shattered windows, letting him breath without the immediate threat of his comrades dying.

"So annoying," he stated, wiping his forehead with his free hand, no doubt rubbing away the white and purple makeup and revealing his signature red scar. He lifted the knife to eye level, inspecting the flawless metal. "Interesting."

"_It seems that these Flames work against Akuma,_" Neah remarked musingly. "_Perhaps Flames and Innocence are related somehow._"

"Questions for another day, Neah," Skull murmured, looking around the destroyed pub and his unconscious comrades. "I'm not paying for this."

Skull heard muffled movement and distant shouting from outside the safety of the wrecked pub.

"Excuse me, pardon me!" the voice was familiar to the stuntman, nudging at the back of his mind frustratingly.

"All civilians have been asked to vacate the premises, sir!" another voice shouted.

"Get the hell out of my way," a very unwelcome voice growled, a sharp 'sching' of metal scraping lightly against metal.

A sound Skull was all too familiar with.

"What," Skull hissed, his eye wide as he stared vacantly at the door. "What is BaKanda doing here? I dropped him off in Mater."

"_I would not be surprised if he caught wind of you and followed us from Italy to England,_" Neah commented, amused. "_Your swordsman is stubborn, nephew. You really shouldn't have maneuvered yourself so close to him."_

"It's not my fault he refuses to be happy," Skull grumbled, turning away from the door in annoyance. He really hoped the police kept Kanda out for a few more minutes. (Oh, who was he kidding, he was screwed.)

"_**I found you,**_" a third, more malicious, voice cut in, echoing through his already crowded mind. "_**You're a hard man to find, little brother.**_"

"And the Noah. All we just need is Apocryphos and this will be a complete Let's-Kill-Allen-Party," Skull sighed, grabbing his bag.

"_And your friends?"_ Neah wondered, trying to think of the best solution to their newest dilemma.

"I have two options," Skull muttered, thinking out loud as he approached his nearest comrade and dragged their unresponsive body to the center of the pub. "I could leave them here to be seen by Kanda and be picked up by the police while I escape to continue on my merry chase as the prey or I can spend time saving them and be caught by Kanda and the Noah that is so _rudely_ intruding on my thoughts."

"_**Oh, don't mind me. Right now, we need you to be bait for that detestable Apocryphos. After that, well. After that, little brother, you'll be joining us. It's the only place you belong. You will have to get rid of your hideous Innocence, of course. I'm sure the twins or Sheryl would be more than happy to remove it for you**_," the mind invader stated.

"Wonderful," Skull rolled his eyes. "I officially have stalkers. Ginevra would be so proud."

"_Perhaps you shouldn't be so light about this, nephew,"_ Neah pointed out. "_The Noah never forget and never let go."_

"Curse my hero complex," Skull decided, stooping down to snatch up Colonello's gun, slinging it over his shoulder as he grabbed the Rain Arcobelano's wrists to drag him.

Skull tried to hurry, well aware of the ticking clock hanging over his head. But, a baby, even a super-strong, overpowered baby, could only move so fast.

He hummed as he worked, the white crystals of his Ark forming just above the small pile of bodies. He could still hear Kanda and his companion – was that Johnny? Since when did Johnny get along with Kanda? – trying to negotiate with the police without causing a fight Kanda would _totally_ win.

The police's adamant refusal only served to buy him more time.

He grabbed Viper last, taking a moment to slip a small note into their cloak, respectfully ignoring any urge to check under their hood.

Just before he reached the pile, he heard the stomping of combat boots and the heavy scampering of worker's boats approaching the doors, the loud police voices silenced.

"Shit," he hissed, gently dropping his teacher on top of Fon. He checked around, as if a solution would appear from thin air.

He paused. 'Appear from thin air,' he mused. Yes, that might just work. He quickly dismissed the Ark. As much as he wanted to simply leap into the portal, he couldn't leave his friends behind in such a condition.

He refused to risk nearly losing another mentor to Apocryphos or the Noah. Cross's disappearance was more than enough for him.

He concentrated, weaving an illusion around himself. Just as the door was kicked down by an enraged swordsman, weak indigo flames bloomed over his features, leaving a ten-year-old redhead standing in a wrecked pub with another light illusion making the pile of unconscious bodies look like more of the destroyed tables.

No reason to arouse suspicion with a _pile of unconscious babies._

Now, that sounded like the end of a bad joke.

* * *

"Moyashi," Kanda growled before pausing to take in the room and distinct lack of white haired teenagers.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Johnny bowed to the annoyed looking child. "But, have you seen this man?"

He held up the picture, forcing the disguised Skull to step closer to get a good look at the image. It showed him, sandwiched between Timothy and Jiji Lujun as Link hovered in the background. They were all smiling, even the Inspector's perpetual frown a little lighter than usual.

Skull's scowl faltered.

Kanda narrowed his eyes.

"No, I haven' seen 'im," he grumbled, falling back on his old accent easily. Hey, you could take the boy out of the streets, but you can't keep the streets out of the boy. Or something like that, Skull didn't really care. "Can I git back to cleanin' now?"

"Right, right, of course!" Johnny smiled. "Thank you for your time. Let's go, Kanda."

"Oi, brat," Kanda snapped. "What the fuck happened here?" Skull twitched, restraining the need to look around uncomfortably. His former comrade would pick up on it and latch onto it like a dog with a bone.

"'S fuckin' drunks, like usual," he remarked, kicking at a demolished chair. "Don't know how to 'old their liquor, the bastards."

Skull knew he messed up when Mugen suddenly rested under his chin, lightly kissing his neck. He froze, a bead of sweat going down the side of his face.

"Ka-Kanda!" Johnny stuttered, looking between the child and the exorcist. It was the swordsman's glare that stopped the scientist from acting, however.

"I know akuma oil when I see it," Kanda snarled, jerking his head towards a dark smear on the ground, just barely peeking out from under a wrecked table. "Now, I'll ask again. What. The fuck. Happened. Here?" Mugen inched closer with each word and Skull refused to twitch when he felt the blade just barely cut his skin.

He was lucky Kanda had a habit of cleaning his sword before and after every akuma kill. The left over akuma oil would have, no doubt, infected him otherwise. And that just plain annoying to fix on a _good_ day.

"The fuck is akuma oil," the runaway tried, already knowing he had lost. Damn his hero complex to Master's pile of debts.

Kanda's glare deepened before he pulled Mugen back, sliding the Innocence into its sheath with a sense of finality. "You got shorter, Moyashi," he stated, looking Skull over with a critical eye. "What the fuck did you do to your hair?"

"It's Skull, Bakanda," Skull snapped, shifting into a more defensive stance, his fingers twitching towards his hidden knife. He sighed, reaching up to rub at the itchy makeup covering his scar. "It's a long story. The better question is – what are you doing here?"

The swordsman tsked, choosing to check around the room instead of answering. Johnny picked up the question, moving towards the stuntman with watery eyes and an overjoyed smile.

"We-we came to help you resist the Fourteenth, Allen," the scientist sniffed, biting his lip to stop its quivering. "You've done so much, I couldn't leave you to face this alone."

Skull smiled softly; Johnny was a good friend, someone that loved with all his heart. He was lucky to have befriended him. "It's Skull, now," he reminded him gently.

"Skull?" Kanda scoffed. "You morbid midget." Skull's forehead ticked, but he ignored the exorcist with practiced ease.

"But, if that's why you're here, you two should really go back to the Order," he informed the duo. Both stared at him in shock, and Skull tried to not wince at the hurt he saw in Johnny's eyes. "Neah and I have come to an agreement about my body, so there's no need for concern."

"Neah?" Johnny repeated.

"Neah, Mana's little brother," he clarified. "He's a lot…kinder than I expected."

"_Don't tell them such lies, nephew_," Neah chuckled. "_They might get the wrong idea."_

"I doubt it," Skull murmured. Kanda noticed immediately.

"He talks to you?" the swordsman hissed, his eyes glinting dangerously. His hand rested on the hilt of Mugen, the worn leather calming his temper.

"All the time," Skull allowed. "We talk about anything, though he's usually sleeping unless I'm in danger. He's rather protective." His smile widened at Neah's responding huff.

Johnny and Kanda exchanged a look, the scientist unsure and the exorcist annoyed. They betrayed the Order, traveled around Europe for over a year, and got hit on in so many brothels only to be told that it was all for nothing?

Like hell.

"We're going to help you, you martyr brat," Kanda barked. "Whether you want it or not!"

Skull backpedaled, flapping his arms in a futile attempt to pacify the exorcist. "I don't _need_ your help!" he exclaimed, frustrated.

"I don't give a fuck!" Kanda countered.

"Just leave me alone and go back to the Order!" he demanded. Skull could hear shouting the distance, people noticing the unconscious police.

"Johnny's a fugitive, you shitty twerp," Kanda roared. "He left the Order to help you, he can't go back."

Skull froze.

"There's no reason to bring that up, Kanda," Johnny's mumble pierced through the Arcobelano's surprise. The scientist was blushing as his stare attempted to bore a hole through the trashed wood floor.

"Thank you, Johnny," Skull acknowledged. "But you two need to go." He continued, even when the duo opened there mouth's to argue their case. "No, I'm being honest. I have the Noah at my front door and…" his voice faltered.

He wasn't ready to talk about Apocryphos, especially not to someone who might have had contact with the sentiment Innocence. He didn't know if it did anything to his friends, like it did to Link.

"And?" Kanda repeated. "Does this have to do with Inspector Link's death?"

"Link's…" Skull's breathing hitched. "Link's dead?"

"I knew you didn't do it!" Johnny cheered, missing Skull's devastating stare transform into a pissed off glare.

"I'll fucking kill that bastard," he promised, both clenched fists shaking dangerously.

"_Nephew," _Neah warned. "_Don't let your emotions rule you."_

"That's funny, coming from you," he remarked, his bubbling anger soothed by his uncle's soft logic. He would have his chance to fight Apocryphos. Just not yet. Not when his heart still shuttered at its name.

He focused back on the duo, who were still absorbing the fact that he didn't kill Link. He opened his mouth, ready to argue with them some more, when he heard a voice from outside the pub.

"This is the Black Order," the voice, echoing slightly from what Skull assumed what a megaphone, stated. "Anyone inside, please step out with your hands above your head. We will give you to a count of ten before we enter the premises."

That…was not good.

"Go," Kanda ordered, marching towards the door. "They don't know you and Johnny are here. Take him into the Ark and go."

_Ten._

"Who's the martyr now?" Skull grumbled, shaking his head. "Just come with us. The Ark is just big enough to fit your ego."

Kanda graced Skull with a small, sharp smile. "Can't, Moyashi. They know someone is in here. If no one shows, they'll blame it on you. From the sounds of it, you have enough fangirls after your tail as it is."

_Nine._

Skull gritted his teeth. So, it was wrong if he 'sacrificed' himself, but if Kanda did it, he made it heroic? That ass.

_Eight._

"And take Johnny with you. They'll probably try and torture information out of him if he's caught." Johnny squeaked, as if that thought had never crossed his mind. Skull really hoped it hadn't. Jonny had too much trust in the Order think they would hurt someone like that. Too bad the Order wasn't Central.

_Seven._

"Alright," Skull nodded firmly. He waved his hand towards his lightly illusioned pile of unconscious babies. "Could you make sure they get medical aid? They're civilians that were present when the akuma showed up."

_Six._

"They're babies," Kanda deadpanned. "Why the fuck is there a pile of unconscious babies."

A wary smile crossed Skull's lips. "They're a lot more than they seem."

_Five._

The swordsman sighed. "Fine, Moyashi. You get your ass out of here and I'll babysit."

Skull hesitated. Johnny was by his side, pulling on his sleeve encouragingly by the time he gathered himself. "Trust Kanda, Allen," Johnny advised. "He knows what he's doing."

_Four._

Skull ran a hand through his illusion-red hair but nodded. "Don't die," he suggested.

"I should be telling you that," Kanda retorted. "Cursed midget."

_Three._

Skull turned away before the swordsman could see his fond smile, humming the Ark's song under his breath. Johnny watched in awe as the crystals formed, pulsating with the comfort and protection the Ark promised.

"After you," Skull bowed, gesturing towards the entrance. The scientist blushed, but scurried inside. The stuntman moved to follow, pausing to get one last look at Kanda.

_Two._

"Oi, Moyashi," Kanda announced. "Thank you. For Alma."

Skull smiled, "you're welcome. Take care of everyone at the Order for me, will you?" Having said his piece, he stepped forward, embracing the white Ark as he left the Order and his comrades in Kanda's more than capable hands.

With a relaxed sigh, Skull let the illusion drop, leaving a purple toddler standing where a red adolescent used to be.

"We'll need to go into hiding," Skull noted.

"_A vacation would be nice,"_ Neah agreed. "_I hear Russia is nice this time of year."_

"Allen, what happened to you?!" Johnny shrieked when he caught sight of the babified runaway.

They were so taking a break from this nonsense. After everything, he deserved a break.

"It's a long story, Johnny," Skull chuckled nervously.

* * *

**(The bold italics was Wisely, in case anyone missed that.)**

**(Long ass chapter is long, holy crap. Does that make up for the lateness?)**

**I don't like this chapter. At all. But I don't know how to fix it. UGH. It's been the monster under my bed since **_**June**_** and I still can't get it right. The only chapter I'm more worried about is the first time Skullen and Xanxus meet. (I am MORE than willing to rewrite this if there is a large negative reaction. I just can't gather the cares right now, especially since I'm already late updating.)**

**The Arcobelano are **_**NOT WEAK**_**. We need to remember that barely any time, like a _week,_ has passed since they've been transformed. I was wobbly on my feet if I grew a **_**centimeter**_** overnight. I cannot imagine how hard it is to move properly after you're deaged to a toddler. Not to mention, they still are not used to the constant drain on their Flames. I'm thinking about it like the Arcobelano are people that haven't slept in a couple days. They are so not okay.**

**I see Kanda as a Lightning, Lavi as a Rain, Lenalee as a Storm, and Cross as a Cloud. That's why Skullen made the mistake between Kanda and Verde.**

**Also, since I don't see Reborn ever learning to use his Flame for healing instead of destruction, our favorite scientist is the field doctor of the group. Be wary, though. He's just as likely to run experiments on you as he is to fix you.**

**The only reason Viper is awake is because of their extreme levels of pain tolerance and training as a Mist needed to stay awake. If your Flames rely on imagination and concentration, there is no way they aren't trained to stay aware and ignore unneeded distractions like pain. **

**I've put an 'Update Schedule' on my profile that simply states how far along I am in a chapter. Hopefully, with this, I won't be getting questions about whether or not I'm continuing a story. It will take ****_a lot_**** for me to discontinue/abandon a story. Like, two years of not updating. In fact, that word is officially banned. **

**That reminds me, I wrote a short one-shot for Luce, all about why she's such a raging bitch. It doesn't really tie into the story, though…Oh well. It's there if you're curious.**

**Guest Reviews:**

**KK - Haha, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I really liked getting to practice characters we'll see more of later. But, yeah, I forgot about Johnny and Kanda for a moment too. But, since they're so important for this chapter, I had to add them. I think it is! Since the entire reason I got back into FF was to improve my prose, I'm really happy! Thank you!**

**Fran Frogg - Haha, thank you! Dammit, I'm blushing. I'm glad you're enjoying it though! Sorry about the late update.**

**S - All of you are conspiring to make me blush, I just know it. Yeah, Skullen will know who Nana is, probably a little while after they meet for the first time. Still not sure when, but it'll definitely be before Tsuna meets Xanxus for the first time. UGH, SO MANY ANIME WOMEN ARE UNTAPPED POTENTIAL, and it ANGERS me. If I can make Nana a badass for even a sentence, I will be content with her. (I love comparing anime heroes to monsters. It's, like, my favorite thing to do in FF.) Oh my gosh, that would be hysterical. I tried that during the first draft of this story, but it, unfortunately, fell flat. Since Mawson's Pub is, in fact, in England, it all works out. Psh, I'm always surprised if someone does like Chaoji. I understand fear changes peoples opinions, but shit, dude, this guy saved your life. Lucky for Skull, he gets a break with explaining. At least, until he runs into his besties once again, who will _not_ be happy. (Don't forget Clown!)**

**ultimma - I'm sorry about the late update then! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far! But, yeah, there will definitely be at least one Kanda and Squalo interaction scene. **

**Guest - Here ya go!**

**I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!**


	16. Chapter 15

**Okay, I was honestly surprised by the general lack of annoyance over the last chapter. Seems I'm not a very good future teller. Crossing that off my list.**

**This is just an informational chapter, really. Not much going on. Prepared to be bored by amateur science, crossover headcanons, and my ever 'witty' dialogue. With the special appearance of an adorable Johnny. **

**I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn or D. Gray Man**

* * *

"It's a long story, Johnny," Skull offered sheepishly, turning around to face the gaping scientist. He watched as Johnny's eyes flickered up and down, quickly taking in his babified form. "And it's just a strange as you're probably thinking."

The duo observed each other for a moment. Skull held his breath, preparing himself for the slew of questions. He was way too tired to deal with explanations right now.

"Allen, you're so cute!" Johnny exclaimed, dashing forward to lift the savior-turned-stuntman into his arms for a closer look. "I just want to hug you!"

Skull choked, waving his arms as the scientist squeezed him into a hug, rubbing his cheek against the baby's short dyed hair.

"Jo-Johnny!" he gasped out. "I ca-can't breathe! John-ny!"

"Sorry, sorry!" the scientist squeaked, his arms snapping open. As Skull fell, he reoriented himself enough to tuck his body into a ball and flip twice. Landing safely on his feet, the stuntman gave a deep breath of relief.

He would have survived the fall, he had no doubt about it. But, it would have definitely hurt and he didn't want Johnny to have to deal with the guilt of that. Apparently, the scientist had already been through hell for him.

"It's fine," the babified teenager reassured, patting himself down. "Are you okay?"

"Am I okay?" Johnny gaped incredulously. "Allen, you're a baby! A cute baby, but a _baby_!"

"Yeah, it's a funny story," Skull tried, chuckling nervously, his eyes crinkling shut as a fake smile twisted his face. Johnny watched his friend for a moment.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Allen," Johnny soothed. "I'm just glad you're okay!"

"Hrk," Skull grunted, his hand slapping over his heart. "I've been hit," he winced.

"_Johnny uses Friendship," _Neah deadpanned. "_It's super effective."_

"No, you deserve to know," the former exorcist stated after he recovered. "In the criminal world, there are a select few that can manipulate a form of energy known as Flames. There are seven different variations with their own meanings: Mist, Storm, Lightning, Rain, Sun, Cloud, and Sky. I was chosen to be the…well, Host might be the appropriate term- the Host of the Cloud Flame. Somehow, this has reverted me to a baby-sized version of my body."

Johnny hummed, eyeing the stuntman's tiny form. "You're not de-aged," he noted. "Komui has been working on a de-aging experiment, but there is the pesky side effect of missing memories. Since you obviously remember me, it must be something else…but the law of conservation of mass dictates that matter cannot be created or destroyed, so where did the rest of you go?" the scientist babbled, squinting over his glasses at the runaway. "Perhaps, it's been transferred? You seem to still have your physical prowess, with only a few balance hiccups. Does your brain still function at the same rate as your true age would indicate? Have you just shrunk, or are your bones no longer structurally sound?"

Johnny continued, rambling science to himself. Skull was not ashamed to admit he understood about every other word and that was being generous. He found street smarts to be more useful in his line of work, anyway.

"In public, I have been able to suspend the noticeable physical effects by using my secondary Mist Flames, which allow their wielder to create illusions," Skull added. Johnny lit up, his face glowing with scientific glee.

Skull wondered why Komui never tried to weaponize Johnny's smile. The stuntman just knew everyone in the science department was wrapped around the cheerful young man's finger.

"But, Allen, how are Flames powered? Innocence has the power of God and the Heart to generate their power, with parasites taking extra energy from their wielders," the scientist questioned, his eyes narrowing in concentration behind his bottle cap glasses. "Parasites still have their own energy gifted by God and the Heart, though, so they are not solely relying on their wielder. It sounds like Flames are only powered a person's own energy. Feelings, while strong, is not the same as power. And adrenaline is not the same."

"Sorry Johnny," Skull admitted. He almost felt stupid for having never thought about it before. Though, he had the excuse of being busy with childish Mafioso and invasive Donnas distracting him. "All I know is that Flames influence a person's personality, that they supposedly originate from the soul, and that they can hurt Akuma."

"They can hurt Akuma?" Johnny repeated, bewildered. "But, only Innocence should be able to hurt Akuma…Allen, are you positive?"

Skull nodded, "I know what I saw."

"That should be impossible!" the flustered scientist exclaimed. He threw his arms up in the air and started pacing around in a circle, his whole body gesturing as he spoke. "Only Innocence can purify a Dark Matter tainted soul! Everything else should be barely an annoyance to the Akuma! Innocence is powered by The Heart, which presumably gets its power from God. How could Flames do what only devices sent from God are capable of accomplishing?"

Skull hesitated. He knew not everyone in the Order served God. Some were too jaded by the Holy War and some had lost their reason to believe.

And Skull had his own metronome, ticking slowly inside his heart.

"Perhaps Innocence uses Flames as energy?" he attempted.

"Or," Johnny grabbed hold of the question and twisted it, looking at it from all angles. Sometimes, Skull forgot Johnny was more than just a fantastic tailor and close friend. He was a scientist that was considered competent enough to be employed by the Black Order. He was _intelligent._ "Innocence is merely ancient contained Flames that forms into a weapon based on their wielder's latent Flames. They would be weaker than a direct source of Flames and might explain why only specific people can use Innocence. The Order never figured out the connection between Accommodators; what if it's Flames? Allen, if not everyone can use Flames could it be that only Flame users can use Innocence? But, that leaves the question of whether Innocence prevents Exorcists from utilizing their 'Soul Flames' and if outwardly materializing Flames stop Users from being Accommodators. I would say you were the perfect example of manifestation, but your Noah genes might allow you to use your Flames while a common Accommodator would be prevented by their Innocence. The energies inside you must have a fascinating relationship for you to be able to use all three of them without any visible negative side-effects."

"I get the feeling there will be experiments. Lots and lots of experiments," Skull sighed, watching Johnny's pacing increase as his circle got smaller and smaller.

"_Was there any doubt?" _Neah chuckled.

"Did you say something, Allen?" Johnny paused, blinking owlishly down at his tiny friend.

"Skull," the stuntman corrected. "It's Skull now."

"You might be Skull now, Allen, but you'll always be Allen to me," the scientist stated, his voice firm and sure.

It was different from when Luce said it. Luce reminded Skull of his previous name to make sure he knew she had power of him and that she knew who he had once been. That he can't _escape _the past_._ Luce wanted to make Skull listen to her.

Luce never knew Allen.

Johnny….Johnny _knew_ Allen. Johnny cared about Allen, laughed with Allen, and watched Allen bleed for those weaker than him.

Skull wasn't sure if he would ever be Allen again.

But, that was okay. Johnny would hold onto the memories of Allen for him, if he ever felt a need to return to those happier days.

"Alright," the Cloud Arcobelano allowed. "Alright. But only in the private, I don't want to cause unnecessary confusion."

Johnny beamed. "Of course, Allen!"

"_Look away, nephew," _Neah laughed. "_Else you will be blinded."_

"Oh!" Johnny's eyes widened with realization as his mouth formed a perfect circle. "Is that why there was a pile of unconscious babies?"

Skull burst out laughing. Through his chuckles, he managed to nod as Johnny looked on in confusion.

Yes, the stuntman deserved a vacation. And spending time with his friend was exactly the break he needed.

He wondered how long the peace would last this time.

* * *

**I think I like this Johnny. He's cute and smart. He'll be the 'brains' to Skull's 'brawns'. Yeah, he's not going anywhere for a while.**

**(I was planning on having Neah sleep through this chapter, but I can't stop myself from the references. It's a problem.)**

**I haven't taken science in TWO YEARS, with my last course being marine biology. Yeah, this is me pulling together bullshit I vaguely recall and face-planting onto the internet for help. I needed some baby science for this chapter, though. I can't introduce a SCIENTIST to a BABIFIED teenager without whipping out a beaker and safety goggles. It's just not done. But, you're more than welcome to correct me at any time. **

**When everyone makes fun of Allen for being short, even though he's taller than Johnny (age 26) at 15. For shame.**

**Do I need to apologize for the religion spiel? Cause I can if it offends anyone.**

**Guest Reviews:**

**Color - A swordsman, a clown, and a scientist walk into a bar. And then there's the pile of unconscious babies. Ah, sorry about the long wait!**

**KK - Johnny is a precious cinnamon roll, too pure of this world. He needs more love. Allen and Johnny are such similar characters that I really hope they get more interactions together with the mangas continuation. Both love so deeply. Allen just has better, more violent, means to protect those he cares about. I can actually see them as opposite ends of a spectrum. Allen is the aggressive protector and Johnny is the passive protector. Dammit, I need more Johnny love now. (Your assessment of Allen's relationships makes me sad because it's so **_**true.**_** Even Timcampy, arguably Allen's closest companion, isn't with him without a motive.) It'll be a while before Skullen runs into his fellow Arcobelano again, but with the Fifteen Year Arc starting up, there's so much to do that I'm sure they won't be missed **_**too**_** much. **

**Dareagon – Thank you! Haha, I'm glad you're enjoying the story! **

**Matsuki Sakata – Haha, will do! I'm glad you're enjoying them!**

**S – It's fine! No matter how long it takes, I'm more than happy to hear from you! Especially considering it takes me so long to update, oops. Haha, I'm really glad you liked it! I can only really nod and smile and agree with what you've said! Viper and Skullen's relationship will only grow stronger, cause I can't get enough of them. They are sibs and nothing can convince me otherwise. I'm big on Families of Blood and Families of Choice and both will be pretty prevalent in this story, though Choice will have a lot more attention. I just can't see Kanda falling for Skullen's bullshit. He obviously didn't when they first meet and a year or two of comradery isn't going to change that. Admittedly, I think that was one of my favorite lines too. Just, a pile of unconscious babies is _way_ too weird to not have Kanda comment on it. Thanks for pointing out the Cross thing though! Spending too much time on Money, Money, Money got me a bit confused about that. It should be fixed now though. Flames are a bit hard, cause of the deep character analysis that needs to happen. I mean, people aren't just cut and dry, so they show characteristics of multiple Flames. I do agree with you though. And yeah, Verde is as a doctor is about as terrifying as Shamal being a middle-school's nurse. I was pretty creeped out by that. The lack of good female characters makes it hard to appreciate anime some times, sadly enough. Thankfully, a couple of them power up, like Orihime and Sakura, but that takes _hundreds_ of episodes/chapters and that's more than I'm willing to trudge through, usually. I am forever going to call it Jasdevi-ing now, just so you know. Going to confuse everyone, but I'll get a laugh out of it. Skullen has _so_ much to explain, I just can't wait. _(I __knew __it!_ _I'm onto you, and your little dog too!)_**

**CoO - Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far!**

**(I swear, _all _of you are trying to leave me walking around with a permanent blush and goofy smile. **_**And you're succeeding.**_**)**

**Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed the shorter chapter. Till next time!**


	17. Chapter 16

**Huh, the months just fly right by, don't they?**

**Cause, really, who didn't need some domestic/science-y Skullen and Johnny bonding? Everyone. Everyone needed it. That's who.**

**I don't own D. Gray Man or Katekyo Hitman Reborn**

* * *

Skull sucked in a deep breath, feeling the air rush down his throat and expand his tiny lungs. Holding it for a second, the stuntman exhaled slowly. His heart was beating, a tempo that his foot instinctively copied, tapping against the white cobblestone of the Ark.

His muscles ached, sore from growing and shrinking, malleable putty for him to play with as he saw fit. His bones burned as fire reinforced their fragile constitution, weak from his years of starvation as a child. He could feel strength searing through his veins, boosting his abilities with every second that went by.

All of his focus was centered inside himself, on that purple inferno that fluctuated with his breath and his heartbeat, living alongside him. The rest of the world was a vague blur, insignificant and dull compared to the blaze.

"Alright Allen," Johnny soothed, his voice distant before the roar of his Flames. "I want you to focus your Flames outside your body now. All around you is water vapor, invisible to the naked eye. I want you to propagate it."

Skull inhaled, tasting the water vapor that existed the air. His Flames coated his tongue and multiplied the vapor until he felt a water drop resting in his mouth. He swallowed the crystal clean water, feeling the freezing drop slide down his throat.

Empowered, Skull pursed his lips, inhaling before exhaling a steady stream of water. After a short couple seconds, the Arcobelano coughed, spitting twice to rid himself of the excess saliva that multiplied under the power of his Flames as well. His concentration sputtered out, the purple Flames slipping out of his control and sinking back into his soul, leaving him shivering and shaky.

"Well, that was better than last time!" Johnny chirped, tossing Skull a towel to wipe off the sweat and propagated water with one hand. "You managed to hold both for a little bit!"

"It's harder than I thought," Skull croaked, his throat unnervingly dry as he patted himself down. "I still can't seem to get my Flames to effect the world outside my body."

"Except for a small knife," Johnny reminded him, making a couple notes on a clipboard to add to his Flame research.

"One knife at a time and only a tiny knife. Any bigger and the Flame is too weak to do any real damage," the former exorcist sighed. "This is a pain. Two years of training and all I have to show for it is a cup full of water."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Allen!" Johnny cheered as he looked up from his writing. "That was at least two cups worth of water this time. Plus, you've nearly mastered manipulating your body with your Flames."

"I was trying to age my body," Skull stated, annoyed with his own inability to truly fix his infantile form. "Not turn myself into a baby bodybuilder. It's a bit unnerving."

"And you finally discovered the secret to your zombie technique just last month," Johnny continued.

"Ultimate Fusion is _not_ a zombie technique," Skull argued.

Johnny stopped his pep talk, blinking down at his baby-sized friend. "Allen, you accidently liquidized your lung while practicing it and shook it off like a paper cut."

"That does _not_ make me a zombie," Skull pouted. "The Ultimate Fusion is a perfectly normal technique that is only to be used as a last resort in the case of an undefeatable enemy. It is a move created to keep me standing, no matter what I'm facing. It is_ not_ a _zombie_ _technique_."

"Poh-tay-toh, pah-tah-toh," Johnny muttered, tapping his pen against his clipboard. "A Mad Scientist knows a zombie when they see one. I worked under Komui for years and zombies are the least of what he thought up."

"Komuvitan D," Skull mused with a slight smirk. "What else did Komui invent before I joined?"

Johnny hummed, putting down his fountain pen carefully. "Normal stuff, really. Deageing, immortality, witch-craft, vampirism. He tried to turn water into coffee once. He never really had an interest in wine. Reever banned him from trying healing potions early on. The Matron was not happy with the Chief for that one."

Skull was quiet, watching his friend stare off into the distance, remembering times when they weren't practically trapped like rats in a cage. A nice, large cage, but Skull knew cages well enough to feel stifled by the Ark after two years.

He wanted to go outside, feel something other than the press of the ocean overhead or the chill of the false sun hanging above.

Johnny didn't deserve to be stuck here with him. But every time the Arcobelano tried to offer the scientist his freedom, Johnny would merely smile and say he was happiest, and safest, at his, Allen's, side.

"I miss them," Skull voiced, reading the same words on Johnny's face and the shiny sheen of tears lingering in his eyes.

"I'm sure we'll see them again one day!" Johnny encouraged.

Skull agreed. He just wished it wasn't any time soon.

He knew they would meet again as enemies, rather than the trusted comrades they were in his heart.

And he didn't think he could stand to turn his weapons against any of them.

(Except maybe Levileer. No one was allowed to hurt his friends and what he did to Lenalee was _unforgivable._)

"One day," he confirmed, his gray eyes staring deep into the dark depths of the ocean beyond the Ark. _And the darkness stared back at him_.

* * *

"Allen!" Johnny called gleefully.

Skull looked up from the white piano, his fingers resting lightly on the keys as he craned his neck back. Johnny stumbled into the room, a small mound of purple fabric and a tiny helmet cradled in his arms. Timcampy rested on the scientist's puffy hair, grinning mischievously at the Noah host.

"Is something wrong, Johnny?" Skull asked, turning fully away from the piano. He ignored the dark flicker in the mirror, knowing Neah was resting as he had been doing for the better part of two years. The only exciting and life-threatening thing was leaving the protective Ark every other month for food. Skull couldn't disappear completely off the face of the earth without the Noah and Apocryphos getting impatient, after all.

Skull estimated another year before he was proficient enough in his Cloud Flames and new body to venture back out into the world. Another year before the Noah and Apocryphos decided enough was enough and cracked down on the Ark's location.

However, the knowledge that it was safest in the Ark, for him and for Johnny, did not chill his annoyance. A cage was a cage, no matter how big.

"No, everything is fine," Johnny laughed, clutching at his load. "I just…finished your new clothes. For when you leave the Ark." He peeled his arms away from his chest, revealing a purple and white jumpsuit and a tiny helmet.

"I'm…not due for a supplies run for another two weeks," the Arcobelano said faintly. His face felt warm. He faced the mirror, only to see Neah's foggy form grinning at him in amusement.

"_Is my cute little nephew embarrassed?"_ he wondered, his foggy head bobbing as his disembodied voice chuckled.

"I figured," Johnny paused, biting his lip as he took in his tiny friend's tense form. "That it was time for us to leave. It's been two years. You've gotten better at using your Flames and there's not much else you can do without proper guidance."

"It's not safe," Skull tried. "We have the Noah and the Order and–" _Apocryphos. _The sentient Innocence that _killed Link_. Cake-eating, stalker, babysitting Link. What if Apocryphos caught up and killed Johnny too?

"_We're strong enough to protect the scientist, nephew,_" Neah soothed.

"I can take care of myself, you know?" Johnny pacified. "Besides," the scientist hesitated for a moment, biting his lip. "I never said we had to stay together."

"What?" Skull's head snapped around, his wide childish eyes staring up at Johnny in horror. After all the times Skull offered Johnny his freedom and the scientist refused, the runaway exorcist never expected the conversation to come up from the other side. He wondered if this was how Johnny felt when he brought it up, like his heart had crystalized, heavy behind his ribs.

Johnny smiled softly, crouching down so his head was level with the Arcobelano's. "I want to help you, Allen." He leaned forward, resting a hand on the teen-turned-baby's head. "The best way to do that is to learn more about Flames. I can't do that from your side. I need to join a Family or apprentice under a master or meet all of your fellow Arcobelano."

Skull jolted. "No," he ordered. "Don't go anywhere near them, Johnny, promise me."

Viper and Fon would be one thing, they were friends and teachers and companions. Skull would proudly show off Johnny to Verde then sit back and watch either a friendship or a rivalry blossom. Colonello seemed nice enough, from what the stuntman had seen of him. It was the other two (three?) members that made Skull's heart shriek.

Luce was not allowed to _look at _Johnny. Johnny could deal with Reborn and Lal, he handled temperamental exorcists before. It was Luce that Skull worried about. She liked to _pick_ at scabs not yet fully healed and Johnny didn't need that bullshit. Not with the Order, his friends, after his head. Not with his best friend dead.

"Alright," Johnny promised. "I won't go looking for the Arcobelano. But, Allen, I still need to know more about the mess you have gotten yourself into this time. I'm not going to leave you to fight this alone. We're friends, after all!"

"Yeah," Skull's lips failed to form his clown-like smile, merely twitching halfheartedly. "Yeah, we're friends."

"I want to help you, Allen," Johnny reiterated. "You're choking in here, even Timcampy can see it. Go out, explore the world, kick Noah butt. Don't trap yourself away because of fear. That's not the Allen I know, the Allen I became friends with."

"Allen's dead, Johnny," Skull reminded the scientist. "I'm Skull now. And Skull is really good at running away."

"But you're not running away, Skull," Johnny said. "You're hiding. You're stagnant. If you're good at running, then _run._"

Skull blinked, meeting Johnny's thick glasses. He _wasn't_ running away. He was hiding, like a turtle in a shell, blind to the world and praying for it to be over when he peeked his head out. Skull couldn't afford to be a turtle, he needed to run, to distract his enemies as he got away. The merry chase, teasing and taunting, would keep his enemies at his tail rather than attacking anyone else.

"_What do you say, my beloved nephew?" _Neah piped in, his dark form slithering across the mirror to snag Skull's attention.

The smile came easier this time, only partially fake.

"There's the Allen I know," Johnny said, leaning back to take in Skull's smile in its entirety.

"I feel ganged up on," Skull commented. "But, you're right, like usual." He took a breath, straightening up from his slight slouch. "Hiding won't solve anything. It never does."

Johnny matched Skull's smile, adding a gleeful laugh. "What are you going to do?"

"What I do best, Johnny," Skull chuckled, snapping his finger demonstratively. A purple fire sparked, dancing tauntingly. He moved his hand, the flame pooling in the palm of his hand. "Play bait."

* * *

**(Alt. Title: the day Skull came out of the closet (Ark)) **

**(Skull's definitely not a turtle. Rather, he's a mimic octopus.)**

**A while meant one chapter and two years, of course. (Was originally planning Johnny would be around next chapter too, but then I did some cleaning up and...welp.)**

**I don't read as many Cloud based KHR stories as I probably should, but my understanding is multiplication and propagation. We only really see expansion and barriers in the anime. Theoretically, on an atomic level, a Cloud Flame can propagate materials and make them denser or bigger. Unless, of course, that falls more with Sun Flames and their activation. But, I'd assume activation, passively, mainly works on living items, that are prepared to grow than on an object that is slowly decomposing over time and needs a purple boost. **

**I'm not making any sense, am I?**

**Propagation = vapor to water. Water to ice. Etc. Following that, storm flames = ice to water. Water to vapor…it all makes sense in my head, I swear.**

**In my experience with Hide and Seek and Tag, running is easier on the nerves. You're not waiting, the seconds ticking by to the beat of your heart as the world fades away. No, when you run, you feel alive, you can feel the world rushing past. I prefer hiding, that stillness, but Skullen is a cloud and a monster. Stillness is not for him.**

**Now, Johnny is NOT leaving Skullen forever. He will still be around. We can't just lock Johnny in the Ark though, or have him lag behind Skullen when he's a scientist ****with understanding of a factor no one else knows (and, ya know, a human being with thoughts and emotions). To their knowledge, NO ONE knows about the possible connection between Innocence and Flames. If Johnny can expand on that information...well, shit changes, doesn't it? **

**Guest Reviews:**

**CoO - Haha, you're welcome! Thank you for reading! **

**A – Thank you! Haha, I'm glad you enjoyed it!**

**Guest – Haha, thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it!**

**S – Haha, it's good to be back! That's okay, your wit is always ever so wonderful! Haha, it's just awesome to hear from you either way~ Now, I like to think the Science Division gave Johnny a label that the cute little goof promptly gave to Lenalee, as, surely, she was 'too cute and friendly to resist' (the second label was sown into the inside of Kanda's coat. He has yet to find it, but Johnny is suspiciously smiley whenever they meet in uniform). Ah, I'm actually glad it all makes sense outside my head! There's so much we don't know about both Flames and Innocence that I can work with and its so amazing! Yeah, Johnny and Skullen's friendship might be my favorite of this story? Not that my Skullen and Neah or Skullen and Viper haven't made me happy, but I really like Johnny canonically. He's a scientist and we see him upset about having a boy so much younger than him bear this save-the-world weight and GOES OUT TO HELP HIM. He doesn't have a motive, he's 'this is my friend, Allen. He needs help and he's all alone. He hates being alone.' And it hurts me cause Johnny threw away everything and I'm not over this, okay? Not by a long shot. -Haha, alrighty then! I'm glad the religious aspects and bullshit science are all good! Right? I was surprised too! I mean, I figured he was older, but only, like, Lavi's age. Instead, he's Reever's age. It's really strange to think about. Hm, I think sticking with siblinghood would be best, all things considered. I just call them sibs, really. It's easier to find badass female side characters than badass female main characters, and I think that annoys me just a must. A lot of anime have that 'ice queen' or that 'sporty girl', basically Lal Mirch for KHR or (mainly) Lulubell for D. Gray Man, but they don't always get a lot of screen time. And they are severely outnumbered by 'emotional support' girls and STRONG MEN. Its a sad world. I think that's why I really love Fanfiction. Sakura can be awesome from the get-go and Nana can be an assassin. Ah, haha, I'll try to step on it then! Thank you for anything you said and taking time to tell me about what you enjoyed!**

**KK - Haha, precious cinnamon roll Johnny~ Oh, thank you! For both the encouragement and the kind words!**

**Guest (2) - Yeah, Luce really makes it hard to like her. **

**Matsuki Sakata - Well, since I don't plan on ever giving up on this story, it just might! Imma need to read the manga first though...hm. Though, I might have some people know the general description of Skull's original appearance beforehand, so not _everyone _will be surprised. Reborn deserves to be surprised, I can agree on that!**

**lalaa - Haha, I'm glad you approve! Oh, only a couple more chapters till they meet for the first time!**

**I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! The next one should be longer, as we are finally getting everyone where we want them and it'll coming around a lot sooner!**


	18. Chapter 17

**(I'm sorry, I just...I got so distracted by the fandom coming back alive. It's so beautiful.)**

**On a completely unrelated note, Imma just shower all of you in praise for being just wonderful readers and people in general. So, you're all awesome and let no one tell you otherwise. **

**I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn or D. Gray Man**

* * *

"What," Skull intoned, staring down at his chest.

"What," he repeated, looking up at the white sky of the Ark.

"What!" he demanded at Tim, pointing at the pulsating purple orb the size of his new helmet.

The pacifier, sky, and golem gave him no response. Skull plopped down on the cobblestone street, glaring at the strange orb in disbelief.

"How is this my life?" he asked it. He was going to be late to meet with his student, but, really, he figured a ball the size of his head popping out of his tiny magical pacifier allowed him to put aside his hard earned manners for the day. "How is _this_ my _life?"_

He didn't want to touch it, no matter how much the Flames – and oh, they were definitely his Cloud Flames, cooing and swirling, bubbling and calling – sang to him. He just had to touch the orb and everything would be okay.

Ha, nope. Not today. Not right now. Hell, maybe not in this lifetime. He was already deeper in trouble than his Master was in debt. He didn't need his body-transforming, magical, Flame-consuming, frankly unsightly, cursed pacifier causing even more trouble for him. Nope.

He had a meeting with a heavily pregnant woman to get to and no magical Flame-ball is going to delay him any further.

With a firm nod, Skull stood, dusting himself off in jerky, tired movements. He side-eyed the ball, watching wisps of Flames – _his Flames_ – dance through the air as it tried to reach out to him, imploring the stunt-baby to _just touch, you stubborn idiot. _

"Yeah, no," he told the ball.

He wished Johnny was still here. The scientist would probably know what to do with the orb, whether to study it or simply go along with its wishes and poke the damn thing.

But, Johnny was safely connected to a Family, one that barely caused problems and had no reason to create waves and get Johnny into trouble.

Especially not if the Bovino wanted to keep one of the illusive Arcobelano on 'their side', the weak former-civilian Cloud or not.

No, he would need to figure this out on his own, without running to Johnny like the toddler he had the misfortune to look like.

"Tim, watch it," Skull ordered, flapping his hand at the orb with only an edge of hysteria. He thought he was doing very well, all things considered. "I'll be back in a couple of hours. Don't…" he hesitated, stepping back to avoid a seeking, and apparently impatient, tendril of Flames. "Don't eat it."

It was nowhere near a perfect solution, but Skull was so done. He caught a whisper of a Noah at his – or rather Brenin Lloyd's – concert last week and he was holding his breath as to whether they finally caught on after only a year of activity or if they were still pouring over the planet for his Ark.

Add in a distant mutter of Arcobelano coming out of the woodworks, and Skull was not prepared to deal with this.

Tim though, oh Tim was made for the purposes of babysitting, according to Master Cross. He was a expert at it by now.

"I'll be back tomorrow, then I'll deal with it," Skull continued when Timcampy frowned. The golem seemed to sigh, but angled his bulbous body up and down in his version of a nod. Skull foresaw head-bumps and bites in his future.

The orb bubbled impatiently, a Flame teasing the cobblestone and leaving a faint burn scar.

Totally worth it, Skull thought with a backwards wave to his long-time companion as he bee-lined to Gate 67**. **

(The orb reached out again, deciding no was _no_t a proper answer. The tendril clipped Skull's heel, burbling happily. Tim watched warily, but with no small amount of curiosity as the orb first expanded then shrunk to the size of a coin. The new member of the family of ghosts, magic machines, and monsters poked Tim's face with a glare. Tim bit off the offending appendage.)

* * *

Skull danced his fingers across thigh, his illusioned form absentmindedly checking side to side as he listened for the approaching footsteps.

The Arcobelano was reasonably surprised at his student's baby daddy's generosity, her cottage house being almost entirely cut off from Taormina_**.**_ Just enough so no one would notice whenever the minor Don came to visit, slipping from the bed of his vicious wife to rest beside a woman far softer, far less used to the bloody world of the mafia.

"Master Brenin, I wasn't expecting you so late!" Lavina Gokudera exclaimed, waddling back to make room for the (seemingly) eleven year old musical genius to enter. The Arcobelano, as happy as he was to have gained control over his secondary Flame while the damn pacifier limited his primary, wished he could do more than look like a pre-teen. With the age came unwanted memories of Mana and Master Cross.

"Lavina," Skull greeted, frowning. "Didn't that bastard sent you a nurse? I don't believe you're supposed to be out of bed when you're so far along." Lavina laughed, her chuckle a note amongst the beat of her heart, the song of the birds, and the tapping of their feet. Skull listened closely, hearing the healthy pounding of her soon-to-be-born child's life, a bass to her snare.

Skull tried not to think of the sorrow he could hear in the background of the song, the deal Lavina was reaching the end of.

"I told Bartolo there was no need," Lavina admitted with a cheeky grin. "You're here to take care of me, after all. Please, make yourself comfortable, Master Brenin. Tea?"

"I can do it," Skull stated, rolling his eyes. "Getting pregnant is the perfect excuse to be pampered and you pass it up. Stubborn." Skull moved quickly, setting the table for two. More familiar with his student's house than even Mother's, he found everything easily and the water was starting to heat up in mere moments. "Have you decided on a name yet?"

"Hayato for a boy. Aika for a girl," Lavina revealed, seating herself at the table when Skull waved her off.

"After the composers?" he teased. His student could have been wonderful, music coming almost as readily to her fingers as it did his, without the assistance of a supernatural, near immortal uncle. Bartolo promised to take care of her, but he can only do so much. Skull himself could help barely any more than him, trapped as he was by his game of cat and mouse with four enemy sides, each with completely different plans for him. The last time he was able to visit, Lavina was not yet showing and here she stood, obvious in her pregnancy.

Lavina shook her head, her smile twisting wider. "Hayato for Ikeda Hayato and Aika after the Greek name for Troia."

"Strong names for such a strong song," Skull replied, canting his head as his foot tapped to the beat.

Lavina hummed, harmonizing as she concentrated, tuning in to the layer of life Skull experienced daily. "I'm glad you approve, Master." She hesitated, long enough for the tea pot to interrupt with a shrill call. She was silent as Skull poured her tea, crinkling her nose briefly in distaste when he passed the drink to her. She, like any sane person thank you very much, preferred coffee over the heated leaf water her Master slipped daintily like wine.

"You didn't ask me here simply to talk about names, did you Lavina?" Skull said, his cup clinking against the table. Lavina smiled, soft as her Master's eyes fixated on her, scanning in worry for pain or discomfort.

She didn't deserve such a caring and compassionate Master, who always seemed worried about her happiness when she could see him tearing apart at the seams. Her choices were her downfall and she had no desire to drag her open-hearted Master with her. And yet…

"They're going to take my child away from me," Lavina said at last. Her fingers burned to rest against smooth ivory, crying out to play.

No one in Taormina, in all of Sicily, would take her now, however. Not after Gisella found out about her husband's affair. Lavina never had reason to know how vengeful mafia wives' were, how they could break someone without a hint of blood. It was her own fault, really. For falling for a man so wonderful, there was no way he was single, no way he was real. Her test of temptation – a test she failed.

"Only if they're a boy," Skull agreed. "Bartolo needs a son and heir and Gisella had complications when Princess Bianchi was born. You might be his last chance to keep the Isardo within the family."

"The Princess can inherit," Lavina tried. "This is my _child_, Master. He's all I have."

"You're sure they're going to be a boy then," Skull sighed, sad. He stared into his tea, so very tired. He was still so young, but his heart felt older than it had any right to be. "Gokudera Hayato, it has a ring to it."

A ring of destiny and fate that Skull really didn't like. It sounded like a booming toll of a bell, the closing of an era.

"Hayato Isardo," she corrected. She laughed, sad and bitter and weary. "They'll never accept him, never love him. Not the bastard mixed son of their Boss."

"Lavina, you don't have a job," Skull pointed out. Lavina felt the claws of despair burrow into her heart. She didn't know what to do, how to help herself. She was young, older than her Master, but still so very young. "If Bartolo went to court, for whatever reason, you still wouldn't win. He is simply better equipped to raise a son."

"He is a Mafioso," Lavina tried to argue, her knuckles white around her cup. Oh, she wished her Master knew how to make a cappuccino. Or that Bartolo would supply her with wine.

"He is a man with dozens of dangerous men at his beck and call," Skull corrected. "He is a father and a Don and he will get what he wants."

Lavina gritted her teeth, determined not to let her Master's words pierce. But, oh, she failed at everything else, what does once more matter?

Her tears slipped, silent only because of her stubbornly clenched jaw. The temptation to scream, to wail was strong. But, oh, she was so much stronger. She had to be stronger.

"Lavina," Skull murmured. He hopped down, his illusion flickering, weakened from whatever orb the blasted pacifier pushed out of its damned depths. He grimaced, feeling the illusioned feet slide beneath the wood floor. He didn't think about it, stumbling a step forward towards his student as his false body righted itself, solidifying as he compressed his Flames. As long as he didn't think about how _wrong_ his body was, how strange and _unnatural_ his abilities were, then everything was alright. It was fine. Everything was fine.

Johnny taught him that much, in their two years together, hiding like criminals.

"Lavina, it'll be alright," Skull promised, gripping his student's elbow. She stared defiantly at the wall, her pride and stomach stopping Skull from pulling her into a comforting hug. "I'll talk to Bartolo, get you allowed access to Hayato. I won't let him tear you two apart for the sake of his honor. He made a mistake, he has to deal with it."

"Master," Lavina said, her voice a single ping of a triangle.

"Gisella will have to suck it up. She's a grown ass woman and if she can't handle her husband leaving her side, she should be taking it out on him, not you and definitely not on Hayato."

"Master, please," Lavina said. "Please, don't." She cradled her stomach, her child, ducking her head to muffle the crack in her voice. "Don't create more problems for yourself, Master, please. Not for me."

_Not for my mistakes,_ she didn't say._ Not for this failure of a girl,_ she didn't say. She did, once, twelve months ago, when she kneeled and begged for a _chance_ to do what he could, to study under him. And, oh, her Master Brenin told her to never speak so lowly of herself, to never drag herself down. The world did that enough without her help.

And, her Master Brenin ferried her away from her parents – oh, if that was what she could call them, with their angry eyes and heavy hands – and raised her higher than she could have ever flown. He showed her the sky, the clouds, oh, he lead her straight to Heaven.

He led her to Bartolo, to her Hayato. Master Brenin changed her fate and she would never forget it.

"I need to…"Lavina trailed off, tendrils of thought slipping between her fingers. "I need to take responsibility for my actions," she recited.

"Vomit your mother's words at me again, Lavina," her Master said, his words warning but his tone as soft as his grey eyes when she peeked her head up. His defeated sigh made her tense. "All you need to do is ask, and I'll move the world for you."

Lavina choked on a sob, not knowing her Master's past, but knowing it was too cruel, too hard for this boy with a storm for eyes and a heart too large for the world. She nodded, curled as she was around her son, her Master her barrier from the rest of the world.

Here, right here, she was safe.

And that's really all she wanted, for her and her son.

* * *

Skull was not expecting a lot when he returned from visiting Lavina.

He was expecting an orb and a golem, preferably right when he left them.

He was not, however, expecting an octopus.

And it _was_ an octopus. A tiny deep red octopus the size of his eyeball. It goggled at him from its seat between Tim's devil horns.

"_Why?"_ Skull asked his pacifier, beyond understanding evil magical artifacts of body horror and, apparently, creation.

He didn't resist reaching out a finger and wiggling it enticingly at the little baby. It responded with three tentacles and a burble. Skull suppressed the bubbling coo that rose.

He lifted his left pointer finger to his face, the cool, distantly slimly feeling of the octopus grappling with his finger bringing forth a smile to his babified face.

"It's completely unfair that you're this cute," he told the baby, his smile stretching when its eyes squinted gleefully. It swarmed around his finger, hugging his skin to its beak.

"What am I going to do with you?" he wondered, his entire arm freezing in surprise as the baby reached out with a tentacle to paw at the pacifier, a tendril of his purple Flames coiling around it to be absorbed. "I can't just take you with me. I won't always be so close to water."

The octopus blinked, one eye at a time, tightening its grip on his finger.

"This isn't a monarchy," he informed the baby. "Tim, Neah, and Crown Clown have to give their approval too."

It burbled imploringly, blinked each eye, and flopped its bulbous head against his knuckle.

"Aw." Skull was eternally grateful Neah was asleep, completely missing the Arcobelano's weakening will. He would never hear the end of it. He just kept picking up strays wherever he went. Tim, however, was around and snickered soundlessly as the former exorcist melted.

"And you!" Skull pointed at Timcampy, the baby octopus mimicking the Arcobelano's firm stare while completely missing his red face and twitching lips. "What do you have to say for yourself, Mister?"

Timcampy stuck out his tongue mockingly, pbbting at the babified teen. Skull sighed, dropping his pointing hand to his side and running his free hand through his dyed hair. "Yeah, yeah, I thought you would say that."

He eyed the octopus. The octopus eyed him right back, curious and open in a way that reminded the former exorcist of Johnny. He bet the scientist would have a field day with this. Random magic orb transformed into an adorable baby octopus that seemed to _eat_ his primary Flames was, by no means, normal.

"What do you think?" he mused. Timcampy simply grinned, wide and unapologetic as Skull felt a reluctant shuffling in the back of his mind.

Neah didn't even bother with responding, huffing sleepily before drifting back to the furthest reaches of Skull's mind.

He took that as an 'Oh, go right ahead, my darling nephew. None of your decisions have ever been harmful or ridiculous, and there is no reason to believe the pattern with change now. Welcome, young cephalopod to our family of misfit toys. Please enjoy the complimentary mortal enemies after your immortal soul and the climbing gear for when we finally climb our Mt. Emotional Issues – as a team, of course.'

Crown Clown twanged, a pulse of something warm – not physical warmth, but Skull might hesitate to call it an empathic message – slipping along the finger the octopus was clinging to.

"Four for four," Skull confided in the baby. "Looks like you got the part. Just so you know, Johnny is totally your understudy. You have no say in the matter."

The octopus burbled in glee.

Yeah, Skull was not going to regret this _one bit._

* * *

**(Imma be honest, this chapter exists more for Oodaku than any other reason I can come up with)**

**B****ABY OCTOPI ARE DAMN ADORABLE. (Oodaku apparently literally means Giant Octopus? Skull, babe, that's…really uncreative.)**

**OKAY. ALRIGHT. LAVINA MAKES ME SAD. And this is, like, one of the only times we will see her in this story. Cause, she dies. She is very much gonna die. Probably. (Tempted to write another chapter to sit before this one about how Skull and Lavina met? I dunno) **

**Question: Where did the Arcobelano's clearly magical animal companions come from? Answer: Skull is too old for this bullshit.**

**Isardo means from the iron, Gisella means pledge/hostage/noble offspring, and Bartolo means son of Talmai (warlike/aggressive/abounding in furrows) – i.e. Son of War/Warlike Son. It all works well. **

**Taormina is on Sicily and a forty-five minute drive from the active volcano, Mt. Etna. It just really seemed to fit Gokudera and I have no idea where Vongola HQ is or where Gokudera was raised. So…**

**Huh, I haven't had a chapter in a while where Neah is sleeping. Guess that just shows how reckless Skullen's decisions have been so far. Now that he's settling and not **_**running around with a bunch of mafiosi he barely knows with questionable morals**_**, Neah feels confident enough to take a much needed nap. Give your uncle a break, Allen, before you give him a damn heart attack. **

**I was reading over my outline for this story and, guys, Xanxus and Skull meet Chapter 19, as long as I keep on track. Holy shit. **

**Guest Reviews:**

**S – Haha, I promise, it's the same when I see one of your reviews! I'm glad the friendships are coming out so well! They are far too important for me to ever ignore, right up there with siblinghood in my mind. Haha, yeah, I just- I can't wait for the next update and we can see how safe Johnny is cause he doesn't deserve anything bad happening to him. Now you're making me think about it! Admittedly, considering the norm of anime I watch, I'm used to the idea of anime characters being younger than me by now. So, actually having a likable, continuous, friendly character that's older is strange in the long run. Or, and hear me out here, we could always have both. Cause people aren't defined by a single principle. Supportive **_**and**_** kickass. I would watch the hell out of a main female protag that's supportive and kickass. Praise be Fanfiction, savior of the fandoms. Oh, that's alright! Anything you write is awesome. Plus, it's a bit of an exposition chapter. This one kinda is too, hm. ...okay, but, when has Allen ever really had a plan. Like, ever. This might be my bad memory, but don't think there is a single time I can point at Allen and say, there, that guy, that is a man with a plan. Alright, that is, admittedly a really cool use of Cloud Flames and a bit jealous I didn't think of it. So, basically, if used on a person, Sun Flames will heal you and Cloud Flames will give you another arm. Makes sense. (I don't know science, but I keep trying to apply science to Flames and why do I do this to myself.) Sorry for the delay!**

**A – It's good to be back! Yeah, no more of Crown Clown having to pick up his slack and forcing his body around like a marionette. Now he's just gonna bulldoze right through it all and laugh off his liquid organs. "Tis but a scratch!" On that note…guess who crawls out of her little hidey-hole next chapter?**

**KK – Exactly! I'm glad Johnny resonated with you! And Allen too! A lot of life is about choices and control. I choose to read and write. I hate it when someone (i.e. school) forces me to read or write cause that precious choice is no longer under my control. That's...actually a really good way to explain it! Thank you! Yeah, Clouds are the kind of people who aren't satisfied with lines, with someone saying 'you can't do that' 'it's impossible'. Yeah, they pobably would personally go out of their way to knock down limitations, rather than other Flames, like Storm or Sun or Lightning, who would do it on accident. Following that, it might make sense if Verde had a secondary Cloud Flame and I'm blabbering. Thank you!  
**

**KittenWithClaws - Thank you for reading! Haha, I'm glad you're enjoying it! Admittedly, I can't see Xanxus being very affectionate with Skullen, but I do agree. My OTP is AllenxHappiness, afterall. He has been practicing with his secondary Mist Flames, but yes, they are still very limited, both because theyre secondary and because he's restricted by his pacifier/beliefs. Mist Flames are based on imagination/belief/etc. If Skullen doesn't believe he can return to what he used to look like, return to ALLEN, then his Flames won't respond. Most of it is a mental block. Or...was that too much information? Hm.**

**Guest (1) - You're welcome! Thank you for reading and I'm glad you're enjoying it! No, he serves life so much better as a clown, no? Or, at the very least, a mimic octopus! (...I'll see myself out.)**

**Guest (2) - Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far!**

**Matsuki Sakata - I'm not totally sure if I'll give Skullen other Flames, even just Sky and Storm. However, I have been thinking of writing another DGMxKHR where Allen is a Sky, but only once I have finished one of my other stories and started my Alt. shots for this story? Cloudy sky does describe him well, though, doesn't it? Nice! (He was eighteen/nineteen)**

**nyan teh kat - *narrows eye* *scans through story* Okay, so I don't think this is the story I enacted a no-reply rule to anyone who mentioned story abandonment - no, I have no plans to ever abandon this story. Considering the fact it once took about what? six months to update?, this wasn't even five. I wouldn't technically call it a hiatus, just me being a lazy ass. BUT, your question (and insistent poking :P) helped to bump me out of my funk and finish this off so it could be updated. Thank you for that!**

**I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!**

**(I'm starting a new writing regime *crosses fingers* so I'm expecting to update _at least_ one story a week. Keep Walking chapter 18 is currently scheduled to be up next week, too. So, I mean, there's that.)**


	19. Chapter 18

***KICKS DOWN DOOR* Okay, a couple things before we start.**

**First, Sara-Matta over on DeviantArt has done a drawing over Skullen and I've put a link of it on my profile.**

**Second, I'm studying abroad in Europe for the next few months. I'll make a conscious effort to keep on track (**_**attempting**_** one update per story a month? Does that sound fair to everyone?) but Imma mainly be spending my time in classes or, ya know, exploring Europe. - I have so many regrets**

**Third, I wrote this after my dinner-date with Satan.**

**Fourth, you're gonna need a tissue, fam – or some popcorn. I'm not picky.**

**Finally, I don't own D. Gray Man, Katekyo Hitman Reborn, or any of the quotes you might find.**

**Warnings – Off-screen death, Allen has a breakdown – like, Miharu level stuff here, a shit ton of daddy issues, an identity crisis or two, and Luce. **

* * *

"I'm done," Skull decided. "I'm done and tired. No more. Someone up there _strike me down_ 'cause this was my last straw!"

The Ark sky above him, the deep unfathoming blue of the ocean's depths blocked by the false sun and pearly clouds, shined on undisturbed.

"_It is only a squirrel, nephew_," Neah said, amused.

Skull combed both hands, gloved in the suit Johnny so kindly made him and left behind, through his purple dyed hair and gave three sharp tugs.

"I need to draw a line in the sand somewhere, Neah," Skull mumbled, trying to smother himself with his pudgy little baby hands. "A _squirrel_ carrying a _letter_ with my _name on it_. _What is my life."_

"_The handwriting is rather familiar_," Neah noticed.

Skull froze. "…don't tell me Ginevra is sending me _rabid squirrels_ to accompany her threats now."

Neah chuckled. "_No, nephew, it is not the Lion-Tamer. Rather, it looks to be from the Seer."_

Skull stared at nearest window, where his uncle's reflection grinned. He looked back down at the small orange squirrel as it chittered at him, even with his thighs. It waved the letter at his nose insistently.

"Nope," Skull decided. "No, not this time, Satan-spawn."

"_That is a bit rude,"_ Neah said, another chuckling spilling over. "_The squirrel never did anything to you."_

"The last time I got a letter I got turned into a _baby_, Neah. I really don't want to know what'll happen next time."

"_Mayhaps she can break it?"_ Neah suggested. "_Or she knows where your Illusionist is currently located."_

"Or she'll steal my body and go on a crime spree before leaving me to face justice – wait."

"_There is little harm in at least reading the letter and seeing what the Seer wants from you."_

"I hate it when you make sense," Skull informed his piggy-backer. He graciously took the letter from the persistent squirrel. He felt Neah hovering behind his eyes, closer to the surface than he usually dared, and tore out the single slip of paper.

It was bordered and perfumed, colored a faint rusty orange. A stamp, similar to that five-leafed orange flower tattoo adorning Luce's check, was pressed before her signature. The ink was a deep blue that did nothing to sooth the irritation the words created.

_Allen,_

_I hope Cosmo reached your side in good health. He is such a curious creature, appearing from my pacifier just a year ago__**.**_

_Unfortunately, this is not a letter of greeting. While I desire to know what you have learned over the last four years, there are matters I must discuss with your post-haste. Please, it is imperative you arrive at my location immediately. _

_Best regards,_

_Luce_

_Sky Arcobelano_

_Eighth Boss of the Giglio Nero Familigia  
_

"She sends a _squirrel_ to the _bottom of the ocean_ to _dig a hole in my Ark_, to invite me over for _tea?_" Skull said, bemused. He shook his head. He didn't have the time – or the patience – to deal with Luce's nonsense. He still had Johnny's letter asking him to appear for some experiments (there was mentions of a 'legendary scientist' Johnny was teaming up with and it sounded too true to be merely a coincidence – not that Skull, or even Allen for that matter, believed in coincidences). He had to check in on Lavina and then Hayato, now turning two years old and still entirely clueless as to his bastard heritage. He had to practice his flames into perfection, until he equaled the force of an _army_.

(Lavina named him Hayato's godfather and wasn't that horrible? Skull could barely protect himself, never mind friends like Johnny or Kanda or _Link_. How could he ever protect a baby?)

There wasn't time for Luce's mind-games. (There wasn't enough stability, either.)

"_You have five minutes, nephew, to spare for a woman with all the answers," _Neah said.

"_Half_ the answers," Skull refuted. "And even less tact. She's bane on humanity."

"_Answers we still need_," Neah insisted. "_Where did Flames come from? What are their connection to Innocence? And Dark Matter? Why did she help call us all together and curse us to this weakened form? How was the Acquaintance the Gale mentioned connected? And, most importantly, how can you get in contact with your comrades once again?"_

"I don't need to contact all of them," Skull denied. He ripped up the paper, the squirrel, Cosmo?, chittering and squeaking in distress as it tried to stop him. Left with off-white confetti littering his Ark, Skull did nothing as Cosmo gathered the remains and almost cradled them. "And I don't need her help to find answers. Johnny's on top of it all, he's the smartest guy I know."

"_No matter who you are_," Neah reasoned. "_Help is always appreciated."_

"But the help of a known liar?" Skull crossed his arms and leaned against the nearest wall, keeping his stare on the window where the shadow of his uncle leered out from.

"_Her words will be taken with a grain of salt,_" Neah assured him. His reflection clasped hands behind his back, its head bowed to keep proper eye contact with his smaller counterpart. "_But meeting with her is a necessary step to moving forward. Not only does she promise answers, speaking with her brings closure to your animosity. I dislike the Seer's presence and inability to understand respectful censorship as much as so. However, hatred will only breed hatred."_

"Says the man whose dream is to murder the Earl and has systematically ruined all I have worked for over six years with one decision." Skull regretted it almost immediately. It was true, of course, but he usually has the restraint to never say so out loud. Playing the blame game solved nothing. And Neah felt remorseful for his part in destroying the life Allen managed to build himself after Mana's death.

Neah didn't speak for a moment.

"_You are right,_" Neah consented. "_I am not a role model for you to fashion yourself after. I never aimed to be. That does not mean you are not. Formerly an Exorcist – one of the strongest – and now an Arcobelano, you are in a position of power over others. How you use this power, how you act, and how you treat others…the underworld will eventually see and judge you for it."_

"Yeah, I get it." Skull finally looked away. "More flies with honey than with vinegar." That was Allen's gig, though.

"_Not necessarily. I am simply saying pulling away from a powerful ally offering an olive branch when you already are planning the world's longest game of cat and mouse with three other factions is not advised."_

"You're a smug bastard, you know that?" Skull turned to the squirrel and sighed. "Alright, show us the way to Her Majesty's side, Cosmo."

(He hoped Timcampy was up to babysitting Oodako again. There was no way he was letting Luce, possible tentative truce or not, anywhere near either of them.)

* * *

"You're dying," Skull noted, sliding into the room from the open window. (He _saw _those guns. There was no way he was risking a gun to his face by being polite and knocking on the first door like an idiot.) He didn't bother with illusioning himself into someone more official looking. It was Luce and he wanted to incite any modicum of guilt his miniature body might ignite in her puss-filled heart.

He plopped down at the vacant chair beside Luce's bedside. Cosmo darted ahead of him, clambering up the bedpost to curl up beside Luce's tiny hand. She was pale, her skin stretched tight over her face. Her breathing was slow and deep, but sporadic, as if she forgot how. She looked fragile, like a single gush of air would tear her tuned in for a moment, trying to see past the physical. Her song pittered off at times, the volume dipping and rising at odd intervals.

"Not just yet," Luce assured him with a wry curl to her smile. Her voice was still strong – confident – no matter how weak she appeared. Skull guessed it made sense.

Her power was in her words, not her body.

"Not until we discuss matters," Luce added.

Skull dropped his head onto his hand, cupping his chin with a put-upon sigh. "Must we?"

Luce's eyes, dull and fatigued, sharpened. "I have never lied to you, Allen. Not once. I might not be your Sky, as I am Reborn's and Lal's and even Viper's, but I ask that you please heed my words."

"It's funny," Skull said. He watched how her fist, pale and clammy, shake as she clenched it around her comforter. "That you never lied to the one person who never trusted you."

"We don't have _time_, Allen –"

"Then make time. Explain to me why you damned people who pledged themselves to you, who _loved you_. I can't trust anything you say until I know why you did all of this."

"That can wait, Allen, I want to know why you are avoiding your comrades."

Skull paused, pursing his lips. "Are all Skies so arrogant or is it just you?" Luce opened her mouth, indignant. Skull sat up straight and cut his hand downwards. "No, it's always about you. Your wants, your plans, your benefits. Is this something prevalent in all Skies? I can't see why such strong people – Reborn, Lal, Fon, _Viper_ – why any one of them search for years for one of you. Do you ever think about someone else?"

"_Allen_ –"

"I have to say, Mom, I want to know the answer to that as well."

Skull jolted and twisted around. A young girl – on the cusp of being a teenager, maybe thirteen years old – stood in the threshold. Skull looked back and forth between Luce and the girl, marking the similarities easily.

"_Mom? Luce has been keeping secrets. But, then,"_ the Noah mused. "_When is she not?"_

"Aria, I told you to stay in your room," Luce said, an undertone of frustration obvious to Skull only because he made it his goal at the cabin to aggravate the 'all-knowing, all-powerful' Sky until she yelled. In private of course. He was many things, but he wasn't needlessly suicidal.

"I wanted to get to know my godfather," Aria remarked, almost flouncing into the bedroom. "I keep dreaming of him."

"_Aria_," Luce attempted. Aria smiled, a wide expression Skull expected to see on Fon – or Allen – more than the daughter of a woman whose smiled blandly, as if staring at a single grain of rice. Luce held for a moment, but sighed after a moment. "Very well."

Aria cheered and threw herself onto her mother's deathbed, rolling until she was on her stomach as she kicked her legs into the air.

"I am thinking of you right now, Allen," Luce confessed. Skull crinkled his nose and exchanged a disbelieving look with Aria. Yeah, no. "You are running from your past, Allen. Do you honestly believe you can elude them for much longer? Six years was a miracle already."

"A miracle I worked hard to maintain." Skull leaned back in his chair, his legs spread out on the chair with him. Luce apparently didn't invest in baby-sized furniture. Skull couldn't shrug off the feeling it was another power play.

"A miracle that you stumbled onto," Luce corrected. Skull sneered and made to fire back. Luce cut him off. "No, Allen, don't even try to deny it. You are lucky in a way you refuse to understand – but luck won't keep you alive."

Skull was _living_ on luck – luck and a promise. Luce didn't know what she was talking about. Skull doubted she ever really did. Seeing the future did not mean _understanding_ it.

(Allen watched Mana get turned into an akuma, a nightmare set on repeat for months, _years,_ but he was no closer to knowing how an akuma is truly made. Luce saw Allen, maybe, but she never took the time to _know _him.)

"We can _help_ _you_," Luce continued, her voice cracking and falling apart, as if she really cared for even a second.

Skull looked away from her, to the teenager watching with a smile and hint of steel in her eyes – a steel Skull saw in Luce too, but Luce was tarnished. Aria was still shining as bright as Lenalee. "Can you do what she does?" Skull asked, jerking a thumb at the dying woman. Luce squawked, trying to disrupt the impending conversation.

Aria pursed her lips to smother her grin. "Yeah, exactly the same. Like we're twins."

"What do you think?"

Aria didn't bother to hide her grin this time. "You're asking the daughter of the woman who screwed you over?"

"I'm calling in a friend for a second opinion," Skull corrected. Aria took a moment to look him over, bemused.

Did everyone think he was stupid? It wasn't like he missed her 'godfather' comment!

(Oh god, he was collecting children now. Someone send for help if he became another General Tiedoll.)

"Mom's right," Aria said, neutral. Skull waited for her to explain while Luce lit up like it was Christmas. "She's bouncing around it, but you'll be safer with actual mafia connection rather than lurking around your Ark like an albino bat. It's not like the Earl can't track the Ark's activation every time you leave for food."

"The Earl isn't actively seeking me out," Skull argued.

"No, I suppose he's not," Aria acquitted, resting her head in her folded arms.

"But Apocryphos is always around the corner," Luce jumped back in, determined to win her nth victory against Skull's sanity. "Having your comrades at your side can only be a benefit."

"Link is dead." Skull could feel that admission in his _heart_, a stab with an invisible knife. "I'm not someone who stands on top a mountain of corpses."

"Now you're being childish," Luce said. "Which is more important then, your promise or your comrades?"

Skull knew the answer. It was easy as breathing, because _it shouldn't even be a question_.

"_Her answer is different_," Neah spoke up. "_What are the lives of people she has watched die already?"_

Skull wondered if that was mafia, or if that was simply Luce. Luce, who was a Sky, precious and sought after and raised to some sort of godhood because of how she was born. Skull saw less and less reason to listen to this Flame business with each passing day. The extra power of his Cloud Flames was helpful, he could admit, but the additions were…a bit archaic.

"Okay Luce," Skull said, spreading his arms with a flourish and a grin. "What would you have me do?"

"Meet with Reborn, Lal, Verde, Viper, Colonello, Fon – show a unified force. You might not be friends, but you have all worked together. They can protect you from your enemies, because your enemies are their enemies."

"I can agree with three out of six – Verde, Viper, Fon, and I are as close to being friends as I can allow myself right now. But Reborn, Lal, and Colonello? One I barely know and the other two delight in my suffering," Skull disagreed, crossing his arms again.

"Suffering and torture are two completely different things, Allen," Luce said, her eyes almost glowing as she stared at Skull. "Tragedy makes lasting connections, however. Even if those three were not your friends before, the Arcobelano is a collective matter. An attack on one, is an attack on all."

"That's not how that works." Skull restrained the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. It was as good as admitting defeat in the face of Luce's logic.

"Isn't it?" She was smug, her lips curled in an infuriating smile. The knowing tint to her glowing eyes was maddening.

Skull sighed. "Fine, okay, say we're all officially so attached to a title thrust upon us unwillingly and connected through your twisted version of pre-meditated fate. How am I going to get in contact with my new BFFsies?"

Luce waved her hand at her bedside table's drawer dismissively. Skull didn't bother moving. He wasn't going to embarrass himself by _jumping_ to open a drawer. Not in front of Luce.

Aria rolled her eyes and leaned over, rummaging around the drawer before dropping a black book on his lap. Her self-appointed task completed, she flopped back down on the bed, observing the book with unrestrained interest. Skull gave her a distracted 'thank you'.

Skullen eyed the small black book warily, flipping it around in his hands as if the cover offered answers to all his questions. "You'd never do something this helpful," he decided without opening the book. He could doubt Luce's intentions all day, but she wasn't wrong. Luce never lied to him. "Not for free."

"In exchange, I want you to watch over Aria," Luce said.

"Mom!" Aria yelped, aghast, sitting straight up again. "I'm old enough to take care of myself."

"The Mafia is a boy's club," Luce spat out, spiteful and angry in a righteous way Skull recognized from Lenalee's bitter smiles and Klaud Nine's cold glares – from Miranda's hesitant hope.

Skull didn't deny her claim.

"They will tear her apart and foist their expectations on her," Luce steam-rolled over her daughter's attempts at protest. "Don't let them ruin her."

The '_like they ruined me'_ was spoken louder than words. Skull didn't want to even imagine what even a trusted Family would do to a young overly powerful girl, not to mention an Arcobelano.

He might not subscribe to Viper's explanation of Guardians and desirable Skies, but leaving a girl with power alone was asking for trouble.

There was a distant scream from down stairs. Skull checked over his shoulder, feeling the muscles in his back tense. Something was wrong.

Neither Luce or Aria reacted.

Skull shook it off. "You want me to check up on your teenage daughter in exchange for information?" he clarified.

"I want you to Bond with my daughter," Luce said.

Skull laughed. Luce didn't even twitch as he gasped for breath, his sides aching. Aria looked just as amused. "Oh, that was beautiful." Skull wiped away a tear. "But, seriously, you want me to babysit her on the weekends or what?"

"I want you to Bond with my daughter," Luce repeated. "You are the strongest Cloud in the world, Allen. To keep her safe, I want you at her side – always."

The screams downstairs doubled in volume – perfectly reflecting Skull's inner thoughts as he looked Luce straight in the eyes and said, "No."

"Allen –" Luce tried.

"I'm not his Sky, Mom," Aria cut in. "And I'm not going to be."

"I'm not going to be _anyone's_ Cloud."

"That's what they all say," Luce refuted. "Being Aria's Cloud will be less painful, Allen. The two of you can take care of each other."

"I think this conversation rounds back to the central question – _since when were we friends_?" Skull said, his jaw clenched and his eyes blazing.

"_Nephew_," Neah warned, his voice as distant as the screams and the background songs that were cut off with each second Skull sat with the two Skies.

"_I_ owe you absolutely _nothing_," Skull continued. "And yet, you seem to act as if you never did anything wrong and you have a right to my life. It's really starting to piss me off."

"Who then?" Luce asked, her smile nauseatingly amused. The screams were loud enough that there was no way the two couldn't hear. "Who has a 'right'? If left to your own devices, Allen, you would just keep running. Always one step ahead of your enemies but still four steps behind. When are you going to turn around and _face them_?"

The screams escalated and Skull froze.

Two unfamiliar songs were downstairs.

The songs were so different from Aria's – a piano melody of rain – and Luce's – the rise and fall of a ride cymbal. One was a child's smash of sound, crammed together without any understanding of rhythm or beat. The louder one was a cacophony of _screams_ – mothers crying for their children, fathers bellowing in rage, a child whimpering.

They rang through his head, loud and _pulsating_ in a way Skull recognized from Luce, and Neah choked, startled. Skull gave a full-body twitch, the screams downstairs cutting off abruptly.

"What did you _do?_"

"Promise me, Allen," Luce demanded, a fevered tint to her stare. "Promise me you'll look after Aria."

The songs tangled together, pushing and shoving at each other, and underneath their disordered melody, Skull heard something even more chilling.

_GIVEHIMTOME HEISMINE_

_**RETURNHIMTOME HEISMINE**_

_Weweremeanttobeone_

_**Wewereone**_

_Hebelongstome ALLEN-CROWNCLOWN-INNOCENCE_

_**Minefirst Togetherforever NEAH-ALLEN-BROTHER-OTHERHALF**_

"Luce, what did you do?" Skull repeated, his lips numb. He could feel cold terror gripping his heart. One…one would be hard enough.

Both? Against both, Skull would never survive, not even with his new abilities – largely untested in battle as they were.

"Mom…" Aria murmured, sitting up. "You went too far."

"I am thinking of you right now, Allen," Luce said. She was smiling, as if expecting praise. As if Skull should be _happy_ his two most fearsome enemies were down the hall fighting over him.

"_Nephew, we need to leave," _Neah said. "_If we are fast enough, we can leave before they notice us._"

"_**ALLEN WALKER!**_**" **twin voices called. "_**ALLEN WALKER!"**_

Skull felt their Call in his _bones_.

(Skull wasn't like Allen or Red. He wasn't a complete overwrite, a flip between traumas. He was a hastily taped together paper-thin mask of traits, worn down and ripped with his poisonous past oozing out. His skin was fragile and his predecessors lurked just below the surface, as if sharks waiting for him to drown before jumping back into focus – control, that was what they all wanted. Skull was – Skull was _temporary_, and everyone knew it.)

Allen's arm burst into feathers, a purple mist dying the tips as the green brightened to eye-searing levels. His teeth ached as if he were seven years old again and struggling to keep up to Mana. His body might as well be on fire, each power within his body fighting each other.

He stood before two Skies, and his Flames crackled and popped to attention.

He felt the Earl's overbearing presence, tinted with insanity and _a snowy day-it's cold-I'm so sad I could die _and the Dark Matter deep inside his soul howled.

Apocryphos crooned and Crown Clown's leash tightened, snarling and whimpering.

Three forces of nature, three powers – _three faces, three names_.

Skull snatched control of his Flames and hopped off his chair.

"See, Allen," Luce said, looking paler and gaunter with every breath. How ever she had called them to her mansion, it was taking a toll on her. Skull tried to feel remorse, but he wasn't kind Allen with a soft hand for everyone in the world. (He wasn't Red, either, who hated and hated until it tore at his own heart. Skull was somewhere in between.) "You just needed the right push."

I needed an egotistical manipulative bitch, he didn't say. I needed another hundred years and an army, he didn't say. "You're going to die here," he said instead.

"Better here," Luce replied. "Than because of my own mistakes."

"You don't consider allowing two monsters to fight in your house, killing your subordinates and endangering your daughter, a mistake?"

"Not when I have my own monster to fight them for me," Luce said. "And what an entrance into the Underworld it will be, to be the savior of the Giglio Nero Family?"

And all she had to do, was let those who swore themselves to her die. Skull…really hated Luce and her little games.

"Mom," Aria said, looking pained.

Luce ignored her. "They are Calling you, Allen," she said, her look appreciative and almost hungry. "It would have been less painful if you had Bonded with Aria when I suggested."

Skull gritted his teeth, feeling like his body was being ripped apart. He latched onto Luce's words almost desperately – Neah was nothing more than a buzzing in his ear, drowning as the delicate balance within him became increasingly unstable.

'Calling'…?

Skull spat out a glob of blood, his tongue stinging from his attempt to restrain his scream. He huffed a laugh, tired and edging on _pissed-the-fuck-off_. "Figures those two are like you," he said. "Guess that answers my question. You're all arrogant as fuck." He slanted a look at Aria, who watched, distantly horrified and bewildered – as if something had changed from what she knew.

"Allen," Luce warned, her body almost becoming one with the mattress.

He scoffed, but spun on his heel, marching towards the door as if a chain were tugging him along. Oh, he really hated this Sky bullshit. He _hated_ it.

(Technically…technically, he could escape. Call the Ark, maybe grab Luce and Aria, and vanish once again. Technically…The Call got louder and louder, thundering through his head until it felt like Sheryl's wires were operating his limbs and the memory of the white Ark, of safety and of Timcampy waiting with Oodaku shattered in a blinding flash of _**mineminemine cometome iwillprotect-love-POSSESSyou**_.)

"I knew you could do it, Allen," Luce said from behind him, her voice finally starting to sound faint.

"Mom?" Aria whispered.

"You're the hero, after all," Luce complimented. Skull clenched his fist – it sounded so much like a mockery of his promises. "You can save everyone."

"Everyone but myself, huh?" Skull asked, the tugging unbearable. He could _hear_ his enemies screaming and fighting just downstairs, mere feet from him and his heart was in his throat.

His Flames _ached._

And the two monsters that haunted Allen's nightmares burst through the stone floor, like the over-dramatic assholes they were.

* * *

Skull didn't move.

He didn't blink.

He didn't even breath.

Aria screamed, throwing herself off her mother's bed and towards the window Skull had entered through. Luce laughed and laughed, a whisper of amusement as her eyes dimmed. Skull couldn't hear her song over the cacophony assaulting him as The Earl and Apocryphos clashed.

He bet it would have been hard to hear even in a _quiet_ room.

The monsters roared wordlessly, little more than beasts as they fought. Skull tried not to cower, tried to pull himself up and throw himself into battle – these were his enemies, who he has faced off against before. Apocryphos hurt Master Cross – not killed, never killed, Allen refused to believe that the Devil could be killed – and The Earl _used_ Mana for his sick schemes. Skull could forgive neither of them and he _needed to get off his ass and __**fight**_**.**

They flared their energy and nearly sent Skull into a tizzy. Aria curled herself behind a chair, a curtain pulled around her as if a shield.

Apocryphos – a Sky Flame undeniably – felt rusted and old, like mold and dust. Like a rotted corpse. The Earl felt old too, but heavy and sick, like oil and there was a strange secondary that Skull recognized as Dark Matter dripping from his Sky Flames as if _consuming_ them.

Skull gagged on the abominations, his meticulously cultivated control shot.

The Earl held Apocryphos down, repetitively smashing its face into the floor and creating another hole. He didn't pause, smashing the sentient Innocence between his hands as if squashing a bug.

Apocryphos pushed back, cracking madly with green energy – Skull resolved to ask Johnny if all Innocence was Lightning or if the green was related to the tint of _rot_ – as it struggled to free itself. It swiped with a green sparking clawed hand at The Earl's inhumanly large face.

Skull watched in horror as the face – a _mask_ – cracked, splintering as The Earl launched Apocryphos away from him and into a wall with a snarl. Skull saw a sliver of Noah-grey and a single stigmata over a golden eye before The Earl body-slammed the Innocence, a hand clenched around its throat.

Apocryphos smiled and grinned and laughed, head butting the cracked mask as its hands weakened the hold at The Earl's elbow. The pieces clattered to the ground and for the first time, everything went quiet.

The two lashed out against each other, rage and an instinctual hatred for the other's mere existence throwing aside their meager rationality, but he heard none of it, his stare as frozen as his wrecked body.

The Earl pulled away from Apocryphos with the face of a man Allen loved.

The man who raised him.

The man who _named_ him.

The man who's face he wore as if he carved off his own and he could feel it _burning_ because Red made himself in this man's image – this man who tried to kill him again and again and who was his father.

Allen was dreaming.

Allen was dreaming because this was a lie, a nightmare.

This was a trick, because Mana was dead. Allen buried him beneath that tree with his own two hands and damned him the very next day.

It was a trick because Mana – confused, unstable, gentle Mana – died and the Earl brought him back for one second of misery.

It was a trick, a lie, an illusion to throw Allen off and he was falling for it because _Mana._

"_It's not, nephew, it's not. Please, nephew, breath. Please."_

Allen _couldn't_ breath. He couldn't think, he couldn't stand to so much as live with this lie latching itself to his heart and _infecting_ him.

(Caring was a disease, a disease _Red_ never caught and he refused to be taken down because one stupid clown was allergic to death. Or logic.)

"_Nephew, breath, please, listen to me." _

Allen choked, the pressure of the two Calling Sky Flames constricting around his throat as they Called – _m__**in**__e__**m**__i__**ne**__min__**e. **_Allen couldn't think, his mind frozen on the image of _Mana_. He tried to reach out, begged for the cold callous anger of Red, who refused to fall.

(Allen forgot that Red was the first to trip into love, handing his heart over to Mana with a smile and a silent plea. Red never cared but oh, he _wanted to._)

Allen scrambled at his heart, clawed at the gaping hole he offered to people like it was some sort of token and cried out. _Mana, Mana, Mana – why was Mana standing before him, alive and smiling and so so __**terrible.**_

"_Nephew, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, please –"_

Allen scrambled at his heart, his nails – black like the stigmata stamped proudly on Mana's forehead, a crown for those who _knew – _and caught on his cursed scar. He dug in, that sliver of pride, of love, of _Mana_ aching in his barren heart because Mana gave him that, and he painted it red. Blood dripped into his eye, and he couldn't close it, no matter how much he wanted this _lie_ to disappear.

He wanted his curse _off_, because Mana was a _lie – _he was sorry, so sorry, Mana, please don't – I love you, I love you, _you saved me once_.

"_Sleep nephew, I'll protect you. I promise, I'll protect you."_

Finally, finally, Allen's vision went black.

* * *

_(Neah didn't bother with his brother. There would be time for that, for a big family reunion. _

_But not now, not with his precious nephew breaking into too many pieces. _

_His Dark Matter raised to the front, shoving aside the cackling Innocence – too volatile to help Neah, what with Apocryphos pulling on its leash – and the crying Flames, begging for that Harmonization the Illusionist preached like some sort of salvation._

_Neah's nephew needed that, he knew, but not with these two and not with the Seer or her ilk. With someone strong, someone who could hold his nephew's pieces together without treating him like a child or a mental patient. _

_Of course, to Neah, no one was good enough for his precious nephew. _

_But that was neither here nor there. For his nephew to get better, Neah had to get them back to the Ark. _

_The Spawn peeked out from behind her chair, catching sight of Neah. She eyed the two opposing powers but crept out from her hiding place enough that Neah knew he couldn't leave her behind. An orange pacifier hung from her neck and The Seer's little black book was clasped in one hand. _

_Neah sighed, testing out his nephew's tiny body. The things he did for his family.)_

* * *

Allen woke up.

"We're in your Ark," Aria said immediately. Curled up around him on his bed as she was, she noticed his abrupt awakening immediately. "Your uncle brought us here."

"Mana…" Allen breathed, feeling his curse scar throb with each breath.

"Your Earl," Aria said. "Mom mentioned he raised you, then abandoned you. You didn't know?"

Allen gritted his teeth, the prickle of tears a familiar and welcome distraction. He wanted to scream, to yell and rage and beat someone into the ground because _Mana was alive _and _Mana was the Earl_. "No."

Aria hummed, hesitated, but reached out and combed a hand through Allen's short purple-dyed hair. Allen leaned into it, her warmth soothing even as his Flames itched under his skin. Crown Clown was still immobile, stiff from Apocryphos' meddling, but Allen knew how to handle that.

Far better than he knew how to handle _Mana_.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked, the itching crawling down to his miniature feet and he felt the need to _move, run, walk forward – keep going and going until everything made sense again. _

He spent the majority of his life on the road. It was about time he returned to it.

"What?" Aria startled backwards, pulling away.

"Where do you want to go?" Allen repeated. "I can't stay here right now. Not here." Not at _Mana's_ former Ark – where _Mana_ almost killed him, where _Mana_ tried to kill his friends, _where Allen tried to kill Mana with all the hatred in his cracked and bleeding heart._

"I'm the daughter of the women who trapped you in that form," Aria argued, tense and expectant. As if she _preferred _if Neah had left her behind in a corpse-ridden burning house. "Why are you wasting time trying to save me?"

"I'm not one to judge someone for their parents," Allen said. His smile, wide and empty, caught on an edge.

Not that he could talk about egotistical, homicidal, lying parents – who tried to murder their child. Who _forgot _their child._ Who grinned and strangled him, as if he never held Red close and __**loved him**_**. **_As if Mana didn't know who he was._

It was enough to drive the street rat insane.

"_Let me, nephew,"_ Neah reached out, hesitant.

Allen held the smile, more from years of experience than any form of strength. "Did you know?"

Aria said nothing, eyeing him patiently.

"_Nephew,"_ Neah said. He didn't elaborate. His silence was deafening.

"Neah, did you know?"

Allen felt Neah pull back, into the furthest corner of his mind. His left hand twanged.

Allen turned the smile on Aria. She stared back at the void, her eyes dull. "You're not Luce, no matter what anyone might have told you otherwise. You're Aria and you're, apparently, my goddaughter. So, do you want to come with me willingly or do I need to kidnap the heir to an affluent mafia family?"

Just another crime to the list. Right next to property damage, traitor, and son of the Millennium Earl, genocidal terrorist extraordinaire.

Allen took a deep breath and reigned it all in. There was a time and a place – Skull knew that better than Allen did. Skull learned that from Red and Red knew that from the circus and the streets. Skull had no parents and only enough friends to count one hand.

Skull was, in the end, the best decision Allen made – because, oh, taking Mana's hand was _Red's_ best and Allen's _worst_.

Skull fixed the smile, patched together the fractures in his heart with a band-aid, and offered Aria his hand.

Aria hesitated. And then, with a knowing look down at him, accepted.

* * *

**(eeeeeeeRRRUGHGHHHHHHH! I hate this so so much!)**

**I got all teary-eyed knowing what I was gonna write for this chapter but started cackling when I actually sat down. This…this might just be my favorite chapter. Even if, like usual, it didn't come out like I wanted it to. **

**I get the itchy feeling some plot points I had in the original were forgotten in this version but I can't seem to think of them right now. Might edit them in later or deus ex machina them when necessary. (Seriously just tempted to rewrite this entire chapter later though, CAUSE eeeeeeeRRRRUUUGGGHHHHHH!)**

…**should Skull have actually fought? I feel like I should have had Skull jump right the fuck into battle like 'SCREW THIS, RAWR' but the song thing and the, ya know, Calling kinda messes with him. Heads up, Luce never actually tried to Call Skull to be her Guardian. Like, this is Apocryphos and The Earl – subconsciously – Calling him and disabling basically all his abilities other than Dark Matter – which is 'poisoned' Flames in case you didn't catch that. Imma equate it to being hit by a truck then run over by a mob…or how Mufasa felt when he died…probably should have still had him fight though – "dammit how is he supposed to be badass if he's on the sidelines all the time" (by, ya know, **_**living. **_**That's usually a good starting point. Maybe seeing a therapist or a doctor, too. For the stacked traumas and the hybrid-baby-possibly immortal political pawn things. Ya know, normal things.**_**)**_

**I'm really getting into my Flame/Innocence lore.**

***squints off to the side* I can't recall off the top of my head if Allen **_**knows**_** Mana is the Earl yet? I know he knows Mana and Neah are brothers, but I gotta tell you, I am waiting for the revelation like you don't even know. **

**I had a joke about Skull being a Disney princess with the hoard of animals seemingly appearing out of nowhere (he wanted to know who decided this nonsense, why, and how much the royalties on his movie/story were cause he wanted a cut dammit). I, sadly, deleted it when I realized it fell flat and didn't really match the timeline. I already have enough time inconsistencies without making it unnecessarily hard on myself. (Yeah, I know Disney movies like Snow White were out as early as the 1930s, but this joke implies a precedent built over multiple movies and decades.)…Skull is still a Disney Princess in my mind though, that's never going away. **

**(Luce…not even your own daughter believes your bullshit. Oh well, she's dead now, it really doesn't matter.)**

**I'm styling Cosmo after Ratatoskr (Norse mythology) – mainly in the 'get anywhere' aspect more than the insult everyone (I dunno, I bet his chitters are some pretty inappropriate things only Luce can understand, ya never know.)**

**I just kidnapped Aria. I don't think you understand how much I can mess with canon with this one move. It's gonna get beautiful. **

**(I'm adding the Mana-and-Neah are the Earl plot, but Imma skip on the Past!Allen shtick, btdubs.)**

**Guest Reviews:**

**Nyan teh kat – Yeah, that's probably for the best, hun. I can confirm my plot bunnies can get violent…at least with me. They seem to like other people well enough (those vicious traitor, the lot of them). **

**S - Haha, sorry about that, I guess! I'm glad it was worth it though. Ah, possibly because we automatically hike their ages either to match our own to make it more personable or to make somethings that happen a bit more acceptable - anyone younger than me fighting the forces of evil makes me think of my younger siblings facing this shit and thats unacceptable? (could also be the physical forms of the character in no way match those of _anyone_ their age, so we match them better in headcanons to what we see than to what we are told, i dunno.) I would fight people for a story like that. And have them be main characters, cause I am so tired of awesome female characters who can do _so much for the story/plot_ being relegated to the sidelines cause of egos. Allen sets a goal - how he gets there is up in the air...kinda like Luffy. I dunno, I rewatched some of the episodes - Allen wasn't thinking of anything other than murder when he attacked the Earl in the Ark. He's a goal-oriented kinda guy. Oooo, I like that - he's reactionary. Yeah, Allen's reactionary. Oh, if you happen to remember the name of the story, I would love to read it! For the entertainment value and to understand the differences from another point of view, of course. Right? It's hard and frustrating and I have no idea why i do this to myself when i could probably hand-wave it. Haha, it is fun to watch, yeah. Okay, but in defense of Skullen, he's used to demonic machines trying to kill him and lolita-secretly midaged-little girls kissing him after almost killing his friends. They don't have cute octopi popping out of magical deaging pacifiers at the Order. No, they have Second Exorcists instead. _Oodaku wins best girl every_ _time. _Right? I debated for a bit on throwing him to the Estraneo and having him basically adopt Mukuro and the other kids, taking them to bond with Skullen and such but I felt he'd actually not lose his faith in humanity with the Bovino. Cause I need to protect Johnny, even as I throw a bus or two at Skullen (okay, I'll admit, it's more like a dozen buses but he's strong, he'll survive it). *squints off to the side* Eh, it was kinda foreshadowing for this chapter more than everything. Like, a quiet look-out shits up. Not that Skullen has much direct contact with the Earl...meh. Oh, that's next chapter! I mean, other than Luce...ha. *cough* but it's such a satisfying sentence to say. It _is_ Lavina! I mean...we have a bit of time before she dies. Not much, but I mean, there's that? Lavina might actually have been my favorite person to write? there's just so much more me to work with and she's wonderful, i love it. (...i mean, maybe? I might.) *cough* Skullen's heart is arguably his biggest strength and his greatest weakness at the same time. Skullen has so many regrets, but Oodaku will probably not be one...unless she kidnaps a child. (Skullen will take _all_ the strays. All of them.) Ah, you have a good point. Haha, thank you!...it didn't. It...really really didn't. **

**Colors - Oodaku wins the prize for best girl every time.**

**Guest (1) - They really really are, its amazing. Dude, you can't tell me you wouldn't be completely done. Skull is _one_ strange phenomenon away from becoming an actual hermit crab and hiding himself at the bottom of the sea (haha, _exact that he already is. And he still can't escape all this_ _nonsense_.) If you got it, flaunt it, am I right or am I right? Oh yeah, Skullen is bascially gonna unwillingly become General Tiedoll. It's great. He's gonna have a bunch of kids trailing him like ducklings - kinda like most of my stories? - but this time he really didn't plan for this at all. So, yeah, he's gonna have a part to play in Gokudera's life. We'll see him for a sec next chapter actually! Yeah, he's been developing his Noah abilities on the side. Or rather, they've been steam-rolling over him and he's trying to keep up. But, like his sensitivity to Flames, he tends to ignore it unless he's looking for something - Gokudera and Lavina's health being a good example. He's worked to make it all background noise so he's not overly distracted in battles or just trip up when walking to the store. Haha, thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!**

**KK - So much angst. It's beautiful. Yeah, I did! I threw me for a bit, but I was too overjoyed with the show to be too bothered by it. It does fit with this story though, you're right! Hm, I'm too tired after this monstrosity, but I can see about adding a cut-scene at the end of the next chapter if that works for you? He's just gonna accidentally wiggle his way into everyone's good graces like the lost puppy he is, its great. Ah, thank you! Wait, holy shit, you're right, oh my gosh. **

**Guest (2) - Thank you! I'm glad you think so!**

**CoO - Aw, you're making me blush! Haha, I'm glad you're enjoying my work and I'm sorry about the long delay in updating.**

**AmberHunter - Haha, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! Ah, I definitely will, don't worry. Though, I hope you weren't waiting for too long...**

**LillianBlake - Oh, thank you! Haha, I'm glad you like it. I'm decreasing the time the Arcobelano were cursed to 15 years for my own sake, but yeah, there will definitely be more time skips. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long! Haha, don't worry about being pushy. Sometimes I need a push or a shove off a cliff or something to get working. **

**Guest (3) - Thank you! Haha, I'm glad you enjoy it so far!**

**Guest (4) - ...*squints off to the side* because I'm lazy and suffer from writers block more often than not?**

**Matsuki Sakata - Haha, I'm glad! Pish, of course he is! I mean, he gonna unwilling be the godfather to a couple of kids, somehow becoming KHR's version of General Tiedoll and constantly question his choices in life that led up to this, but yeah, he's Gokudera's godfather and eventual guardian. *kicks down door* I might actually cry if someone wrote a reaction/reading fic of this story, I kid you not. Like, I'm a blubbering mess already with these reviews and the artwork, you guys don't even know. Ah, thank you for reading and reviewing! **

**Ha. Haha. Ha. I am not ready for the next chapter. **

**Like, so many people are gonna be in it. **

**Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this ridiculously long chapter!**

**(Oh gosh, it's 4 am. I wash my hands of this for the night. I am going to bed, good night and good bye.)**


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